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HOME  MANUFACTURE 
OF  FURS  AND  SKINS 


MINK   SKINS,    CASED    (RAW)   AND    DRESSED 


HOME  MANUFACTURE  OF 
FURS  AND  SKINS 


A  Book  of  Practical  Instructions  Telling 
How  to  Tan,  Dress,  Color  and  Manu- 
facture or   Make  into  Articles  of 
Ornament,   Wear   and   Use 


ALBERT   B.    FARM  HAM 
Taxidermist  and  Furrier 


PUBLISHED    BY 

A.  R.  HARDING 
COLUMBUS,  OHIO 


, 
CONTENTS 

lapter  Page 

I.     Some  Facts  and  General  Principles  for  Fur 

and  Skin  Workers IT 

II.  Correct  Modes  of  Skinning  Fur  Animals...   31 

III.  Stretching  and  Curing  Fur  Skins 41 

IV.  Handling  Other  Skins  and  Hides 40 

V.  Storing  and  Shipping  Raw  Furs 56 

VI.     Indian  Skin  Dressing 64 

VII.     Indian  Fur   Robes 74 

VIII.     Tools  and  Appliances  for  Tanning  and 

Dressing 83 

IX.     Tanning  Materials  and  Terms 96 

X.     Tanning  Formulas  and  Recipes 105 

XI.     Preliminary  Work,   Soaking,   Fleshing,   De- 
greasing  115 

XII.  Softening  and  Cleaning  Skins 121 

XIII.  Small  or  Light   Furs 126 

XIV.  Heavy  Furs   130 

XV.  Deer  Skins  and  Buckskin 135 

XVI.     Sheep  and  Goat  Skins 143 

XVII.     Miscellaneous    Skins,    Gator,    Snake,    Birds, 

Etc 15ft 

XVIII.     Fur  Dyeing.    Uses  and  Principles 160 

5 


HOME  MANUFACTURE  OF  FURS 

XIX.  Dyeing  Mate-rial  and  Appliances 168 

XX.  Colors  and  Fomulas  176 

XXI.  Furriers'  Tools  and  Supplies 188 

XXII.  Making  Up  Furs  and  Garments 192 

XXIII.  Fur   Robes    197 

XXIV.  Fur  Rugs,  With  and  Without  Mounted 

Heads  204 

XXV.  Trimmings  and  Natural  Heads  and  Tails... 220 

XXVI.  Collars,  Cuffs  and  Odd  Pieces 225 

XXVII.  Coats  and  Capes    233 

XXVIII.  Caps,  Mittens  and  Gloves 240 

XXIX.  Muffs  and  Neckpieces    246 

XXX.  Moccasins  and  Pacs 254 

XXXI.  Utilizing  Fur  Waste   261 

XXXII.  Cleaning,  Repairing  and  Storing 263 

XXXIII.  Prices  for  Tanning  and  Other  Fur  Work. .  .270 

XXXIV.  Appendix  ...  ...279 


LIST   OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 

Page 

Mink  Skins,  Cased  (raw)  and  Dressed Frontispiece 

Section  of  Skin  or  Hide.  Magnified 18 

Stone  Skin  Dressing  Tool 23 

Steel  and  Stone   Furriers'   Knives 24 

Six  Sizes  and  Patterns  of  Steel  Trap ; 27 

"Cased*  and  "Open"  Stretched   Raccoon  Skins. .......    33 

Skinning-  Opossum   ( Cased)    34 

Some   "Cased"  Stretched    Raw   Skins 37 

Well  Handled   Red   Fox  Skins 39 

Muskrat  Skinned  and  Stretched 42 

Board   Stretcher   for   Skunk 4& 

Heavy  Galvanized  Wire  Skunk  Skin  Stretcher 43 

One  Piece  Stretcher  for  Open  Raccoon 4& 

Alligator   Skins — Under  Surface  and   Horn-Back 52 

Northern  Furs — Otter,  Fox,  Lynx   58 

Northwestern  Furs — Wild  Cat,  Mink,  Marten.  Beaver, 
Etc 80 

Marking  Raw  Furs 61 

Great  Comanche  Village,  Texas,  in  1834 66 

Indian    Camp — Women    Dressing   and   Tanning    Skins. 
1832    68 

A  Log  Fur  Beam 84 

7 


8  HOME  MANUFACTURE  OF  FURS 

Fur  Beam,  Not  Adjustable 85 

Fleshing  Knives   85 

Currier  or  Skiving  Knife 86 

Hand  Scrapers   87 

Tanner's  "Moon"  or  Crutch  Knife 88 

Tanner's  Stretching  Frame    88 

Stake   Knife  for  "Breaking"  Skins 89 

Sandpaper  Block    90 

Cleaning  Drum  as  Used  in  Large  Establishments 91 

Fur  Drum  Made  of  Box 92 

Furriers'  Steel  Combs    94 

Raw  Skins,  Pale  and  Low  Grade 99 

Raw  Raccoon  Skin    109 

Dressed  Grey  Fox  Skin Ill 

Beaming  and  Plucking  Beaver  Skins 117 

Shaving  Mink  Skins  in  a  Large  Establishment 122 

Skiving  Beaver  Skins   1  :;i 

Pattern  for  Wool  Duster   140 

Skin  of  Mottled  Shark 13J 

Walrus  Leather   153 

Sea-Lion    Leather    153 

Seal  Leather   154 

Skin  of  Water  Snake 15f 

Letter  Box,  Mounted  with  Shark  Skin 157 

Skin  of  Beaver  Tail  and  Jewel  Box 159 


LIST  OK  ILLUSTRATIONS  9 

Red,  Cross,  Silver  Fox  Skins 162 

Opossum  and  Raccoon  Dressed  and  Blended 169 

Opossum  and  Muskrat   Dressed  and   Blended 171 

Strip  of  Raccoon  Fur    173 

Pale   Raccoon   Dressed  and  Blended 177 

Muskrat  Dressed  and   Dyed 18:> 

Furriers'  Knife    189 

''Polish  Fur  Stitch"  194 

Base  Ball  and  Over  Stitch 194 

Strong  Hide   (cattle)   Laprobe 198 

Coyote  Laprobe  of  Eight  Skins 199 

Fur  Robe  of  Muskrat  Skins,  Pointed  Rumps 200 

Briar  Stitch  on  Lining 202 

Sewing  Border  and  Lining 202 

Baby   Carriage    Robe    203 

Natural  Skulls  of  Wolf,  Lynx,  Otter,  Mink 205 

Wild  Cat  Rug— One-Half  Head   206 

Making  Mould  for  Head   Form 207 

Inlaid  Animal  Rug   215 

Preparing  Head  Form  for  Wall  Mount 217 

Corner  of  Work  Bench 221 

Shortening  Natural  Head  Skins 222 

Alligator  Paw  Purse  226 

Snake  Skin  Belt  Purse 227 

Match  Holder — Alligator  Leather  826 


10  rtOME  MANUFACTURE  OF  FURS 

Buckskin  Pouch 228- 
Foot  Muff 231 

"Dropping"  Fox  or  Other  Skins — M   Method 235 

Section  of  Raccoon  Skin  "Dropped"  or  "Let  Out" 236 

Fur  Cape  and  Pattern 239 

The  "Army  Cap"   Pattern 241 

"Pill   Box"   Cap   Pattern 242 

Four  Piece  Mitten  Pattern 24,n> 

Two  Piece  Mitten  Pattern 243 

Three  Piece  Mitten  Pattern 244 

Another  Four  Piece  Mitten  Pattern 245 

Dropping  Fox  Skins  for  Boa — V  Method 247 

Method  of  Sewing  and  Piecing  Mink  Skin  Muff 249 

Muff  and  Pattern  253 

Chippewa  Moccasin   Pattern    257 

Sioux  or  Plains  Moccasin  Pattern 258 

The  "Wallace"  Moccasin  Pattern 259 

Twenty-two  Raw  Silver  Fox  Skins 265 

Beating  Beaver  Skins  for  Removing  Sawdust,  Etc 27 J 

Wild  Cat  Rug,  Open  Mouth 277 

Barrel  or  Ash  Leach...  ...280 


ALBERT  B.  FARNHAM,  Author 


11 


INTRODUCTION 

Probably  one  of  the  oldest  human  industries 
is  Home  Dressing  and  Manufacturing  of  Furs 
and  Skins,  as  this  method  of  clothing  the  body 
has  persisted  from  the  stone  age  to  the  present 
time.  As  a  happy  combination  of  dress  and  or- 
nament, furs  will  always  continue  to  lead.  At 
the  present  time  the  manufacture  of  furs  has 
been  highly  developed,  with  the  aid  of  machinery 
And  specialized  workmen  it  is  conducted  on  a 
.scale  which  compares  favorably  with  any  busi- 
ness activity. 

However  the  principles  remain  the  same, 
And  good  results  can  still  be  attained  by  hand 
labor.  To  the  average  "out-door"  man  it  is  a 
positive  pleasure  to  see  the  stiff,  dirty,  raw  skin 
develop  into  the  soft,  clean,  flexible  material,  and 
later  to  shape  it  into  a  protection  from  the  cold 
^ind  an  ornament  combined. 

In  addition  to  the  pleasure  of  tanning  and 
making  into  some  article  for  your  home  or  office 
use,  furs  or  skins  caught  or  killed  by  yourself, 
there  is  a  cash  market  for  such  articles.  In  fact, 
right  here  is  the  "Long  End"  of  the  profit.  Raw 
fur  skins  that  will  bring,  say  $2.00  each  in  the 

13 


14  HOME  MANUFACTURE  OF  FURS 

raw,  when  tanned  and  made  into  some  article, 
such  as  a  mull',  generally  sell  at  several  times  the 
cost  of  the  raw  skin.  The  expense  of  manufac- 
ture is  small  and  with  lining  added,  is  still  but  a 
trifle.  During  recent  years  many  raw  fur  deal- 
ers have  added  tanning  and  manufacture  of  furs, 
skins,  hides  and  pelts.  Why?  Because  they 
realized  that  there  was  far  more  profit  to  sell  as 
many  skins  as  possible  "when  manufactured.  Can 
you  blame  them?  Xot  in  the  least.  At  the  same 
time  why  not  reap  some  of  the  "Manufactured 
Furry"  harvest  yourself? 

The  demand  for  articles  such  as  the  average 
hunter,  trapper,  guide,  farmer,  rancher,  etc.,  can 
make  is  ever  increasing,  and  perhaps  is  an  op- 
portunity to  make  money  at  a  business  you  e:ijoy. 
The  tanning,  dressing  and  making  into  muffs, 
scarfs,  capes,  caps,  rugs,  robes,  etc.,  if  fur  skins, 
or  into  gloves,  moccasins,  shirts,  etc.,  if  deer, 
woodchuck  or  sheep  skins,  can  be  done  during 
*lack  time  or  bad  weather. 

In  hundreds  of  places,  not  only  cities,  towns 
and  villages  but  the  country  as  well,  there  is  a 
golden  opportunity  to  build  up  a  profitable  busi- 
ness in  articles  manufactured  from  fur,  pelts  and 
hides.  If  your  reighbors  know  that  you  are  en- 
gaged in  the  business  (and  they  will)  it  will  soon 
be  known  for  miles  around,  so  that  you  will  have 
calls  and  should  make  numerous  sales.  If  you 


INTRODUCTION  15 

don't  sell  your  output  in  this  way,  take  samples 
and  visit  the  various  towns  near  you  occasionally. 

This  is  the  day  of  the  automobile  and  nearly 
all  owners  want  fur  robes.  As  a  rule,  these  need 
not  be  made  up  of  high  priced  skins,  as  warmth 
and  comfort  are  usually  what  is  most  wanted.  If 
you  are  in  the  coyote  country  these  can  generally 
be  bought  quite  cheap — that  is,  if  you  are  not  a 
trapper.  Even  then,  it  may  be  cheaper  to  buy 
than  to  try  to  catch  your  supply,  ("heap  coon 
can  also  be  worked  up  into  robes.  Coats  can  be 
made  of  furs  from  the  cheapest  to  the  more  ex- 
pensive— depends  upon  your  trade.  As  a  rule, 
cheap  or  moderate  priced  articles  sell  best.  Rugs 
are  also  good  sellers  in  some  localities  and  are 
made  in  various  styles,  both  from  fur  pelts  and 
skins.  Sheep  skins  are  often  used,  but  pelts  with 
.a  certain  length  of  wool  must  be  selected  for  best 
results.  Of  the  fur-bearers,  those  from  bear  down 
to  the  smallest  size  fox  are  used  for  rugs.  Both 
coats  and  robes  are  now  much  used  made  from 
(lalloway  cattle  hides. 

Furs,  pelts  and  hide's  are  now  used  in  prac- 
tically every  home  to  some  extent.  Why  not 
make  up  some  of  your  catch — either  the  poorest 
or  best  specimens — whichever  you  wish.  In  this 
connection  let  us  ask  a  few  questions: 

Why  pay  a  tanner  big  prices  to  do  your  tan- 
ning? 


16  HO.Ui*  MANUFACTURE  OF  FURS 

Why  pay  a  cutter  big  prices  to  do  your  fur 
or  hide  cutting? 

Why  pay  big  prices  for  lining — satin,  bro- 
cade— when  you  can  buy  ij  lieaper? 

Why  pay  big  prii  cs  for  felt  lining  when  you 
ran  buy  it  cheap? 

Why  pay  a  retailer  of  furs,  robes,  etc.,  a  big 
profit  on  top  of  what  the  tanner,  cutter  and  man- 
ufacturer charges  him  when  you  can  get  all 
these  prolits  yourself? 


HOME  MANUFACTURE  OF 
FURS  AND  SKINS 

CHAPTER  I. 

SOME  FACTS  AND  GENERAL  PRINCIPLES  FOR  FUR  AND 
SKIN  WORKERS. 

I^N   the  raw  state,  animal  skins  are  roughly 
separated  in  three  classes  as  follows : 
1st.    Horse,  Cow,  Ox,  adult  animals — Hides. 

2nd.  Horse,  Cow,  Ox,  young  or  yearling  ani- 
mals— Kips. 

3rd.  Young  Calf,  Sheep,  Goat,  Deer,  and 
smaller  varieties — Skins. 

It  is  with  the  latter  class  that  we  have  prin- 
cipally to  deal,  though  a  few  well  haired  speci- 
mens of  the  first  two  are  used  for  coats  and  robes, 
by  far  the  larger  nmriber  are  dehaired  and  con- 
verted into  leather. 

To  understand  the  nature  of  the  change 
worked  by  tanning  in  the  animal  hide  it  is  neces- 
sary to  refer  briefly  to  its  structure.  It  consists 
f>f  three  layers,  the  epidermis,  derma  and  a  fatty 
under  tissue.  Of  these  the  epidermis  itself  has 
practically  two  coats,  (a)  the  outer  horny  sur- 


18  HOME  MANTFACTCRE  OF  FURS 

face,  and  (b)  a  watery  cellular  one  connecting 
it  Avitli  the  underlying  derma.  The  outer  coating 
is  being  shed  and  renewed  continually  fro'.n  the 
cellular  <-oat  beneath.  The  derma  or  corin,  is 


SECTION    OF    SKIN    OR    HIDE,    (MAGNIFIED) 

the  true  skin,  and  leather  making  tissue.  The 
inner  layer  of  fatty  tissue  between  the  derma  and 
the  flesh  and  fat  contains  the  perspiratory  and 
sebaceous  glands. 

The  moist  animal  skin  undergoes  decomposi- 
tion very  rapidly,  if  dried  becomes  stiff  and 
heavy,  or  if  boiled  with  water  is  changed  into 
soluble  glue.  The  object  of  tanning  is  to  bring 
the  skin  into  such  a  condition  that  decay  is  ar- 
rested, and  after  drying  it  no  longer  forms  a 
stiff,  horny  mass  but  an  opaque  tissue,  insoluble 
in  -water,  fibrous  and  pliable.  When  dressed  as 
furs  such  skins  should  retain  the  complete  epi- 
dermis with  its  accompanying  hair  or  fur. 

The  best  authorities  believe  that  tanning  is 
iflore  a  physical  than  chemical  process,  and  that 
the  function  of  the  tanning  material  is  chiefly  to 


FACTS  AND  GENERAL  PRINCIPLES  19 

penetrate  the  pores  of  the  skin  and  envelope  the 
individual  fibres  so  that  in  drying  they  are. pre- 
vented from  adhering  and  so  stiffening  the  whole 
mass. 

In  making  true  leather,  both  the  epidermis 
and  the  under  tissue  are  removed  leaving  the 
derma  alone.  This  is  composed  of  interlacing 
fibres,  between  which  is  found  an  albuminoid 
substance  called  coriin.  This  is  insoluble  in 
water  alone  but  soluble  in  lime  water  and  so 
removed  in  large  part  by  the  process  of  liming 
when  making  regular  leather. 

Though  sometimes  tanned  hides  are  used  for 
making  rugs,  the  many  processes  of  preparing 
skins  for  furriers  use  are  usually  quite  distinct 
from  ordinary  leather  making.  The  process  of 
preserving  skins  in  a  condition  for  use  as  leather 
or  garments,  broadly  spoken  of  as  Tanning,  may 
be  separated  into  four  quite  different  branches. 


VEGETABLE  TAN NING. 

Using  tannic  acid  derived  from  barks,  leaves 
and  vegetable  gums.  Nearly  all  heavy  leather  is 
so  treated. 

II. 

MINERAL    TANNING,    SOMETIMES    CALLED 
TAWING 

This  is  done  by  the  use  of  mineral  salts,  and 


20  HOME  MANUFACTURE  OF  FURS 

is  pre-eminently  the  fur  dresser's  method,  though 
dressers  prepare  some  heavy  skins  by  combina- 
tion tanning,  adding  Gum  Catechu  or  Terra  Ja- 
ponica  to  the  alum  or  acid  formula. 


III. 

OIL  TANNING. 

As  buckskin  and  chamois  are  treated,  re- 
moving the  uncoinbiiied  oil  from  the  skins  by 
pressure  and  chemical  action  and  replacing  it 
with  other  preparations. 

IV. 

COMBINATION  TANNING. 

Using  both  tannic  acid  and  mineral  salts 
combined,  chiefly  for  leather  and  more  rapid 
than  a  strictly  vegetable  process.  The  well 
known  chrome  leather,  so  durable  for  shoes,  is 
tnade  by  one  of  the  combination  processes. 

Making  use  of  the  term  in  its  general  sense, 
we  refer  to  fur  dressing  as  tanning,  though  to 
be  strictly  technical,  tawing  would  be  the  proper 
term  to  use.  The  preparation  called  Mineral 
Tanning,  Tawing  or  White  Leather  Dressing,  is 
carried  on  in  many  forms,  but  all  the  methods 
consist  practically  of  three  distinct  operations: 
1,  Fleshing;  2,  Tawing  or  Preserving  the  skins, 
and  the  3rd,  Currying  or  softening  them. 


FACTS  AM)  GENERAL  PRINCIPLES  21 

Fleshing  consists  in  removing  every  particle 
of  fat  and  flesh  still  remaining  on  the  skin,  and 
also  the  inner  skin,  which  locks  up  and  protects 
to  a  great  extent  the  true  skin  from  both  me- 
chanical and  chemical  action. 

In  tawing,  the  skins  are  immersed  in  some 
liquid  preservative,  being  occasionally  stirred 
about  so  that  all  parts  of  them  are  operated  on 
equally.  They  are  weighted  down  so  as  to  be 
quite  covered  and  left  in  this  liquid  for  varying 
lengths  of  time,  depending  somewhat  on  the  tem- 
perature and  the  thickness  of  the  skins.  When 
the  action  of  the  preservative  is  complete,  it  may 
be  determined  by  pinching  or  cutting  the  skin  of 
the  back  of  the  neck,  the  thickest  part  of  the 
skin.  The  tawing  completed  the  skins  are  re- 
moved, stretched  to  their  full  extent  and  allowed 
to  become  partly  dry. 

Currying  proper,  consists  in  stretching,  sep- 
arating and  softening  the  fibres  of  the  skin  by 
some  chemical  means,  such  as  working  with  a 
blunt  edged  knife  or  other  tool,  stretching,  roll- 
ing, rubbing  and  pulling  with  the  hands,  etc. 
The  above  is  about  the  general  procedure,  though 
amended  and  modified  to  suit  the  material  and 
individual. 

For  instance,  thin  and  delicate  skins  are 
often  tawed  before  fleshing  at  all.  Skins  thus 
treated,  and  tawed  in  a  solution  (of  alum  and 


22  HOME  MANUFACTURE  OF  FURS 

salt  for  instance)  are  converted  into  a  substance 
resembling  leather  though  different  from  it. 
There  has  been  no  chemical  combination,  how- 
ever, analagous  to  that  formed  by  the  gelatine 
and  tanuic  acid  in  ordinary  tanning  as  the  gela- 
tine, alum  and  salt,  can  be  again  separated  by 
treatment  with  water.  Dressing  the  tawed  skin 
with  a  paste  of  yolk  of  egg,  flour  and  water  or 
other  oily  pastes  tend  to  resist  this  deleterious 
effect  of  water  and  keep  the  skins  soft  and 
pliable. 

Alum  was  probably  first  used  in  tawing 
xkins  and  is  still  used,  though  on  account  of  its 
action  in  plumping  or  thickening  the  skin  it  has 
been  to  a  great  extent  superceded  by  various 
acids.  These,  if  properly  used,  destroy  the  glue 
in  the  skin  so  that  currying  leaves  it  porous  and 
soft,  a  layer  of  inert  fibres  in  which  the  hair  or 
fur  is  securely  rooted. 

In  skin  dressers  parlance  the  acid  "kills  the 
rubber"  in  the  skin.  Of  course  if  a  very  strong 
acid  solution  is  allowed  to  remain  in  the  skin 
after  disposing  of  the  gelatine,  the  fibres  them- 
selves .rill  be  attacked  and  destroyed.  Hence  the 
necessity  of  thoroughly  washing  out,  or  scouring. 
Clear  water  will  remove  the  salt  or  alum  but  acid 
tawed  skins  should  be  scoured  with  an  alkali 
solution  which  will  tend  to  neutralize1  any  re- 
maining acid.  Dirty  and  greasy  skins  are  treat- 


FACTS  AND  GENERAL  PRINCIPLES 


ed  with  benzine  baths  and  hot  absorbents  to  clean 
the  fur,  as  no  matter  how  well  a  skin  may  be 
dressed  otherwise,  matted  and  dirty  fur  is  not 
wanted  by  civilized  people. 

Tanning  and  skin  garment 
making  is  one  of  the  oldest 
human  industries,  as  long  be- 
fore men  dreamed  of  textile  fab- 
rics, they  were  clothing  them- 
selves in  the  skins  of  the  ani- 
mals they  ate.  The  gap  between 
the  lady  on  the  avenue  arid  the 
cave  woman  is  not  as  long  as  it 
seems.  From  the  dajrs  when 
stone  age  tools  were  fleshing; 
skins  or  when  Simon  the  tanner 
dwelt  by  the  sea  (a  good  supply 
of  salt  water)  on  down  to  the 
present  electrical  age,  the  element  of  hand  labor 
enters  largely  into  fur  and  skin  working. 

The  industry  has  become  highly  specialized 
in  all  the  large  cities  of  the  world  where  it  is 
carried  on  with  trained  operatives  and  expensive 
machinery,  still  there  seems  to  be  a  place  for  the 
hand  Avorker  who  can  combine  a  working  knowl- 
edge of  the  necessary  processes*  with  such  manual 
dexterity  and  neatness  as  will  insure  a  durable 
and  well  finished  article,  useful  and  ornamental 
alike. 


STOXE  SKIN 

DRESSING     TOOL. 

(Collected    by    A.    B. 

Farnham) 


24 


HOME  MANUFACTURE  OF  FUttS 


Iii  the  small  towns  and  country  neighbor- 
hoods there  is  often  difficulty  to  get  a  few  fur 

articles  made  up 
fro  m  t  h e  r  a w 
•skins.  The  ex- 
pense of  trans- 
portation and  de- 
1  a  y  of  sending 
s  u  c  h  w  o  r  k  to 
some  large  estab- 
lishment give  the 

local  worker  con- 
? 


STEEL    FURRIERS    KNIFE 
(2)     STONE    KNIFE 


siderable    advan- 
tage. 

Before  p  r  o- 
c  e  e  ding  further 
it  might  be  well 
to  give  some  attention  to  what  a  large  dealer  in 
raw  furs  and  skins  published  some  3rears  ago  as 
a  caution  to  the  inexperienced.  He  says  thous- 
ands of  dollars  worth  of  valuable  hides  and  skins 
are  ruined  each  year  by  trappers  and  farmers 
trying  to  tan  fur  skins.  Many  of  the  quick  tan- 
ning processes  are  not  what  they  are  claimed  to 
be — there  being  no  stretch  to  the  hide  when  tan- 
ned and  no  furrier  will  buy  them. 

Should  the  beginner  have  the  correct  for- 
mula, he  seldom  does  a  good  job,  as  it  takes  a  lot 
of  experience,  and  for  heavy  hides  for  robes,  etc., 


FACTS  AND  GENERAL  PRINCIPLES  25 

special  machinery  to  scrape  or  split  them  down 
thin.  It  is  all  very  well  for  people  to  be  ener- 
getic and  try,  but  they  ought  to  experiment  on 
skins  of  no  market  value,  such  as  woodchuck, 
squirrel,  belgian  hare  and  pig  skins.  When  they 
succeed  well  on  these,  try  dog  cat,  etc.,  before 
trying  the  more  valuable  ones. 

This  is  good  advice  as  anyone  can  see,  but 
there  is  no  reason  why  the  energetic  and  perse- 
vering beginner  cannot  master  the  principles  of 
fur  dressing  and  working.  The  great  difference 
between  the  price  of  the  raw  material  and  the  fin- 
ished product  is  attractive,  but  it  should  be  borne 
in  mind  that  there  is  usually  a  good  reason  for  it. 

Beginning  with  the  trapper,  he  receives  cash 
for  his  catch  usually  and  that  investment  is  tied 
up  until  the  finished  fur  is  delivered  to  the  wear- 
er (and  sometimes  for  months  afterward) .  Very 
few  furs  in  the  regular  trade  are  worn  the  same 
season  as  taken,  more  often  two  years  or  more 
elapse  with  interest  charges  going  on  and  the 
expense  of  the  various  handlings  being  added 
from  time  to  time. 

Tanning  comes  first,  and  here  you  say  there 
is  some  graft  for  a  tanned  skin  costs  more  than 
a  raw  one,  plus  the  tanning  charge.  This  is  ac- 
counted for  by  the  fact  that  many  apparently 
sound  skins  will  show  up  damaged  or  even  be  a 
total  loss  after  dressing.  Hidden  folds  will 


26  HOME  MANUFACTURE  OF  FURS 

slough,  and  improperly  cured  skins  and  those  left 
too  long  in  the  grease  will  drop  to  pieces.  They 
are  dressed  a  1"  "owner's  risk"  of  damage  so  such 
loss  is  added  to  the  value  of  the  survivors.  Thin 
and  faded  skins  go  to  the  dyer,  and  this-  work 
must  be  paid  for  before  the  furrier  proper  puts 
a  knife  to  the  skins. 

The  late  winter  and  early  spring  is  the  slack 
time  in  the  fur  shops.  The  manufacturers  are 
endeavoring  to  collect  on  the  past  season's  sales, 
ascertain  what  remains  unsold,  and  having  skins 
tanned  and  dyed  for  another  season.  In  the 
sweltering  days  of  July  and  August  the  fur  oper- 
ators are  figuratively  and  literally  "up  to  their 
chins  in  work"  and  "making  the  fur  fly."  They, 
like  the  trapper,  need  their  pay  at  the  week  or 
month  end  and  no  one  will  begrudge  it.  to  them, 
so  it  is  added  also  to  the  burden  already  carried. 
By  the  time  the  wages  of  wholesale  and  retail 
salespeople,  display  fixtures,  insurance  and  other 
necessary  charges  are  added  tlie  result  is  formid- 
able. 

The  raw  skin  worth  at  the  start  $1.00  must 
now  bring  from  $2.00  to  $4.00  or  see  a  loss  in- 
flicted on  s'ome  one  who  has  helped  in  its  pro- 
gress to  the  finished  article.  It  is  estimated  that 
omitting  the  manufacturers  of  traps,  guns,  boats 
and  other  equipment  there  are  in  the  United 
States  alone  over  25,000  persons  employed  in  the 


27 


28  HOME  MANUFACTURE  OF  FURS 

various  branches  of  the  fur  trade.  The  average 
annual  production  of  North  America  is  estimated 
by  a  good  authority  to  be  24,000,000  skins  of  all 
varieties,  and  the  same  person  gives  the  yearly 
production  of  the  world  as  having  a  value  of  $!)•>,- 
080,000  exclusive  of  skins  used  by  natives  and 
hunters  for  their  own  requirements. 

New  York  City  is  the  great  fur  center  in  this 
country  for  dressing,  dyeing  and  manufacturing 
as  well  as  accumulating  the  raw  furs.  St.  Louis 
probably  receives  more  shipments  direct  from 
trappers  than  any  American  market,  and  was  the 
first  city  to  hold  auction  sales  similar  to  those 
held  in  London,  England.  New  York  leads  as  a 
consumer  of  finished  furs,  the  sales  to  individuals 
there  exceeding  those  in  any  other  city  of  the 
world.  London  and  Leipsic  have  claimed  pre- 
eminence in  dressing  and  dyeing  but  our  fur 
workers  are  equal  to  any,  and  after  two  years  of 
the  great  European  War  it  was  seen  that  this 
country  was  forging  to  the  front  in  the  fur  trade 
of  the  world. 

In  your  home  manufacture  of  furs  you  will 
try  to  combine  the  work  of  many  individuals  in 
one  in  order  that  the  profit  may  be  greater;  re- 
member also  that  you  alone  will  have  the  work 
to  deal  with  in  all  its  unpleasant  phases,  the 
hard  and  dirty  task  of  the  tanner,  the  tedious 
seams  of  the  sewer  and  skin  cutters  puzzles  will 


FACTS  AND  GENERAL  1'HIXCIPLES  29 

be  yours,  with  perhaps  salesmen's  and  collector's 
duties  added,  for  good  measure. 

We  all  believe  in  the  day  of  small  things  and 
in  the  fur  business  as  in  other  lines  of  endeavor 
some  of  the  greatest  successes  have  resulted  from 
the  smallest  beginnings.  Ever  since  about  1870 
there  has  been  a  steady  rush  of  people  to  get  a 
share  of  a  trade  which  they  evidently  believed 
still  yielded  as  large  a  profit  as  was  secured  by 
the  traders  who  two  centuries  ago  swapped  beads 
and  jack-knives  for  skins  with  the  unsophisti- 
cated savages.  Many  to  their  sorrow  soon  dis- 
covered that  if  honestly  conducted,  the  fur  busi- 
ness like  any  other  pays  the  dealer  only  a  fair 
margin. 

The  responsibility  of  the  dealer  when  pur- 
chasing furs  must  be  apparent  to  all  who  remem- 
ber what  a  large  trade  is  carried  on  in  what  may 
be  termed  artificial  products.  The  common  and 
cheaper  furs  are  now  often  so  prepared  as  to 
resemble  rarer  and  costlier  articles.  The  skill 
with  which  piecing  is  done  is  somewhat  marvel- 
ous. All  clippings  and  cuttings  of  furs  have 
their  uses  and  pass  into  different  hands  for  var- 
ious purposes.  The  life  of  a  fur  also  depends 
largely  upon  the  method  of  dressing  and  the 
quality  of  the  dye  used  in  coloring. 

The  average  purchaser  cannot  possibly  have 
the  knowledge  that  will  protect  him  from  being 


30  HOME  MANUFACTURE  OF  FURS 

imposed  upon  by  unscrupulous  .dealers.  There 
are,  however,  so  maiiy  responsible  furriers  and 
fur  dealers,  large  and  small,  that  no  one  except 
those  who  are  looking  for  "something  for  noth- 
ing" need  be  the  victim  of  fraud  or  deception. 

The  story  of  the  furriers  is  not  so  full  of 
dramatic  interest  as  the  history  of  the  Fur  Trad- 
ers and  Trappers,  but  they  are  the  "men  behind 
the  guns"  without  whose  prosaic  efforts  to  make 
furp  fashionable,  and  to  stimulate  the  demand  af: 
various  times  for  different  species  by  the  creation 
of  new  styles,  peltries  never  could  have  become 
valuable  enough  to  cause  the  traders  and  trap- 
pers to  leave  their  homes  and  risk  their  lives  in 
the  pursuit  of  their  calling. 


CHAPTER  II. 

CORRECT  MODES  OF  SKINNING  FUR  ANIMALS. 

THE  professional   fur  worker  has  usually 
but  little  need  of  the  information  in  this 
and  the  following  t\vo  chapters,  as  nearly 
all  the  skins  received  by  him  are  dry  or  cured. 
The  home  tanner,  however,  gets  much  of  his  work 
in  the  green  state,  often  indeed  receiving  the  en- 
tire animal,  the  skin  of  which  is  to  be  removed 
and  prepared  for  use. 

By  following  a  fe\v  simple  directions  almost 
any  one  can  do  this  so  that  the  skin  will  be  in 
good  condition  for  either  transportation,  or  stor- 
age in  the  dry  undressed  state  or  immediate 
dressing.  Many  people  seem  to  imagine  there  is 
.some  mystery  in  the  skinning  process,  and  rather 
than  undertake  it  will  often  ship  an  entire  ani- 
mal long  distances.  Not  only  does  this  add  to 
the  expense,  but  by  being  left  on  the  carcass  so 
long  many  fur  skins  are  spoiled  entirely  or  at 
least  damaged. 

As  an  example  we  once  received  in  Washing- 
ton, D.  C.,  a  black  bear,  shipped  by  a  sportsman 
in  the  Adirondacks,  who  desired  a  rug  made  of 
the  skin.  It  had  been  headed  up  in  a  tight  barrel 


32  HOME  MANUFACTL'KE  OF  FURS 

and  expressed  to  a  friend  who  was  out  of  town 
for  the  week  end  at  the  time,  and  as  this  was  in 
the  early  fall  the  effect  when  the  barrel  was 
opened  can  be  better  imagined  than  described. 
Needless  to  say  the  skin  was  useless  and  the  ex- 
press charges  of  $2.00  or  so  wasted.  A  couple  ot 
hours  work  on  the  part  of  sportsman  or  guide 
would  have  saved  a  good  trophy  and  reduced  the 
expense  of  shipping  to  fifty  cents  or  so. 

The  main  idea  is  to  get  the  skin  olt'  entire 
and  with  as  few  accidental  cuts  as  possible.  If 
the  entire  skin  is  removed  it  is  a  simple  matter 
to  put  it  in  shape  even  if  badly  cut  or  if  the  open- 
ing flits  are  made  in  undesirable  places,  while  if 
parts  of  it  are  cut  away  it  becomes  very  difficult 
to  repair  properly. 

The  proper  mode  of  skinning  varies  some- 
what according  to  the  use  contemplated  for  the 
dressed  furs.  Many  hunters'  and  trappers  do  not 
realize  that  there  is  a  very  practical  reason  for 
"cased**  or  "open"  skinning  and  "square"  or 
"long''  handling  of  various  skins.  A  moment's 
thought  will  show  that  the  nearer  the  raw  fur 
can  be  made  to  approximate  the  finished  article 
in  shape,  the  less  work  is  imposed  on  the  furrier, 
the  less  material  will  be  wasted  in  shaping,  and 
more  valuable  such  skins  will  be. 

Muskrats  are  usually  "cased,"  as  the  shorter 
furred  bellies  are  often  made  up  separate  from 


33 

the  backs.  If  they  were  skinned  "open"  it  would 
be  necessary  to  lit  together  and  sew  a  seam  the 
entire  length  of  the  skin  to  use  them  so.  For  all 


"CASED"    AND    "OPEN"    STRETCHED    RACCOON    SKINS 

small  animals  a  good  sharp  pocket  knife  will  be 
sufficient  and  for  those  of  larger  size  a  common 
butcher  or  hunting  knife.  Oambrel  hooks  of 


34 


HOME  MANUFACTURE  OF  FURS 


some  kind  render  the  skinning  process  easier  and 
may  be  either  purchased  or  made  as  follows : 

Get  a  piece  of  heavy 
wire,  about  No.  8  size, 
18  inches  long,  bend  it 
in  the  middle  some- 
thing like  a  A  shape, 
turn  up  each  end  for 
an  inch  or  so  in  a  hook, 
and  tie  one  end  of  a 
foot  of  stout  cord  to 
the  middle.  If  a  small 
wire  hook  is  fastened 
to  the  other  end  of  this 
cord  it  can  be  thrown 
over  a  branch  or  nail 
and  the  animal  sus- 
pended b  y  inserting 
the  hooks  under  the 
heel  tendons  after 
starting  cuts  down  the  hind  legs. 

This  enables  the  operator  to  use  both  hands 
and  the  cord  permits  turning  the  animal  from 
side  to  side  as  needed  during  the  process.  This 
arrangement  will  handle  anything  not  larger 
than  a  fox.  Large  animals,  skinned  "open"  are 
laid  on  the  back  and  turned  from  side  to  side, 
or  a  wooden  gambrel  and  piece  of  rope  used  to 
suspend  them. 


SKINNING    OPOSSUM 
(CASED) 


CORRECT  MODES  OF  SKINNING  35 

To  remove  a  skin  "cased"  lay  the  animal  on 
its  back  and  inserting  the  knife  point  under  the 
skin  of  each  hind  foot,  slit  down  the  back  of  the 
legs  to  the  base  of  the  tail,  slit  the  tail  its  full 
length  on  the  under  side,  and  slit  up  the  back  of 
the  front  legs  of  such  skins  as  inink,  marten, 
fisher  and  fox. 

Animals  like  these  that  have  the  feet  furred, 
may  have  the  skin  of  the  feet,  nails  and  all  re- 
moved, by  pulling  the  skin  down  and  severing 
each  toe  at  the  point  above  the  nail ;  if  the  feet 
are  not  furred,  pass  the  knife  around  the  ankles 
and  peel  the  skin  down  the  hind  legs  until  the 
body  is  reached.  The  scent  glands  are  to  be  cut 
around  carefully  and  the  tail  skinned  out. 

In  many  cases  the  tail  may  be  quickly  strip- 
ped without  slitting,  but  preservatives  are  not 
so  easily  applied  and  often  the  tail  sheath  will 
stick  together  and  eventually  slip  part  of  the  fur 
when  so  stripped.  Tails  of  muskrat,  beaver  and 
opossum  are  worthless  on  furs  and  may  be  chop- 
ped off  where  the  fur  ends  before  skinning. 

The  skin  is  pulled  down  over  the  head, 
wrong  side  out  like  a  sock,  using  the  knife  to  cut 
any  ligaments  attaching  it  to  the  flesh;  directing 
the  blade  towards  the  body  rather  than  the  skin 
that  no  cuts  be  made  in  it.  Bits  of  flesh  and  fat 
adhering  are  most  safely  removed  afterwards. 
The  fore  legs  reached,  they  are  drawn  back  out 


36  HOME  MANUFACTTUE  OF  Fl.'US 

of  the  skin  which  is  severed  at  the  ankles  or  toes, 
.as  the  case  may  require. 

The  ears  are  next  reached  and  cut  off  not  too 
close  to  the  skull,  the  membrane  at  the  eyes  <  ut 
through  and  the  lips  reached.  Don't  get  impa- 
tient when  so  nearly  done  and  slash  off  the  skin 
of  nose  and  chin  but  cut  carefully  a  moment 
leaving  the  lips  and  bare  nose  on  the  skin,  they 
will  dr}<  without  splitting  from  the  inside  unless 
the  animal  is  a  large  one  and  the  weather  warm. 
The  carcass  of  a  Avell  skinned  animal  will  have 
no  tufts  of  fur  adhering  to  it. 

In  skinning  uopen"  an  additional  cut  is 
made  from  the  chin  to  the  tail  and  the  front  legs 
<ire  slit  down  to  it  generally,  though  in  the  case 
of  the  raccoon  the  front  legs  are  not  slit  all  their 
length  and  the  beaver  is  only  cut  from  chin  to 
tail,  the  legs  not  slit  at  all  so  it  stretches  in  an 
oval  shape. 

Large  animals  such  as  the  bear,  puma,  or 
mountain  lion,  jaguar,  leopard  and  tiger,  the 
skins  of  which  are  mostly  used  as  rugs  should 
always  be  skinned  "open,"  with  claws  attached 
to  the  feet  and  heads  entire.  Do  not  throw  away 
the  skulls  of  any  such  animals  received  in  the 
flesh  but  clean  them  and  preserve  the  teeth  for 
use  in  mounting  the  heads. 

The  quickest  way  to  do  this  is  to  drop  the 
skinned  head  into  an  old  pot  or  tin  of  water  and 


SOME    "CASED"    STRETCHED    RAW    SKINS    —    HOUSE    CAT, 
LYNX,    OTTER. 


38  HOME  MANUFACTURE  OF  FURS 

boil  it  until  the  flesh  begins  to  get  tender.  Watch 
it,  as  if  boiled  too  long  the  bones  will  separate 
at  the  little  dove-tailed  joints  of  the  skull,  called 
sutures,  the  teeth  drop  out  and  render  it  worth- 
less. While  warm  the  flesh  is  cut  and  scraped 
away,  the  hole  at  the  back  of  the  skull  enlarged 
with  a  chisel  or  hatchet  and  the  brain  scooped 
out. 

Hang  up  to  dry  out,when  it  can  be  attached 
entire  to  the  skin  by  a  cord  or  wire,  or  the  teeth 
plates  only  sawed  off  and  preserved.  If  not 
wanted  for  mounting  such  teeth  are  readily  sold 
to  the  makers  of  artificial  papier  mache  heads, 
bringing  from  15  or  20  cents  per  set  for  a  fox, 
to  $1.00  or  $2.00  for  the  larger  animals.  Some 
skin  dealers  buy  them,  but  the  best  prices  will  be 
had  from  taxidermists  and  manufacturing  fur- 
riers. 

SKIN  "CASED". 

Weasel,  Fisher,  Muskrat,  Otter, 
Mink,  Fox,  Civet,  Wild  Cat,  House  Cat, 
Marten,  Opossum,  Skunk,  Lynx. 

SKIN  "OPEN". 

Raccoon,  Wolverine,  Beaver,  Bear, 
Wolf,  Puma,  Badger,  Coyote. 

A  few  moleskins  have  been  collected  for  furs 
in  this  country  from  time  to  time.  They  should 


WELL    HANDLED    CANADIAN    RED    FOX    SKINS 

These   pelts    were    from    foxes   caught,    skinned    and    stretched    by 
the  trapper  who  had  them  and  himself  photographed  before  selling. 
(Photo  and   description  from   Fur  Buyers'   Guide — See  page  286.) 


40  HOME  MANUFACTURE  OF  FURS 

be  handled  "square"  like  raccoon  to  work  up  to 
the  best  advantage.  Especially  line  skins  of 
coyote  and  raccoon  are  often  "case:!"  for  use  as 
ladies'  furs,  but  for  the  great  majority  "open" 
square  handling  is  best. 

Aflev  skinning  and  before  stretching,  if  the 
fur  is  wei  'f  should  be  dried,  and  burrs,  mud  and 
bloodclots  lemoved  from  it.  Clear  water  and  a 
rag,  sponge,  or  brush  will  remove  the  blood  and 
mud  can  be  beaten  and  brushed  out  when  dry. 
To  dry  wet  fur,  take  the  skin  by  first  one  end  and 
then  the  other  and  whirl  it  rapidly  round  in  the 
air. 

If  to  be  dressed  immediately  tl:e  skin  may 
be  salted  r.ow  or  hi  some  cases  placed  in  the 
tanning  .solution  or  pickle.  For  shipping,  stor- 
ing or  sale  as  ra\v  fur,  stretching  and  curing  or 
drying  is  the  next  step  after  removing  any  con- 
siderable lumps  of  ilesh,  fat  or  muscle  from  the 
inside  of  the  skin. 

Fatty  hides  like  the  bear,  skunk,  raccoon 
and  opossum  may  be  so  thickly  coated  as  to  re- 
quire the  use  of  a  fleshing  knife  on  a  beam,  but 
ihe  skinning  knife  and  thumb  and  finger  are  suf- 
ficient for  fleshing  such  as  muskrat,  mink  and 
marten.  Before  using  the  ileshcr  on  t'.ie  beam, 
remove  all  burrs  and  lumps  of  mnd  from  the  fur 
or  a  hole  will  be  cut  in  the  skin  at  each  one  in 
the  operation. 


CHAPTER  III. 

STRETCHING  A XI)  CURING  FUR  SKINS. 

CASED  skins  are  dried  on  rather  long  and 
narrow  stretchers  which  may  be  either 
skeleton  frames  of  wood  or  metal  or  one 
or  several  pieces  of  wood.  One  form  which  is 
widely  sold  consists  of  two  curved  pieces  of  flat 
steel  hinged  together  at  the  nose  and  adjustable 
by  opening  or  closing  at  the  rear.  A  non-ad- 
justable stretcher  for  small  skins  such  as  musk- 
rat,  is  often  made  of  a  48  inch  piece  of  heavy 
galvanized  wire,  bent  into  shape  and  the  ends 
twisted  together  with  plyers. 

I  am  not  partial  to  metal  stretchers  of  any 
kind  and  they  should  never  be  used  at  all  unless 
thoroughly  galvanized  or  rust  will  damage  the 
skins.  We  once  received  two  skins  in  apparent 
good  order,  to  be  dressed  for  rugs,  which  had 
been  so  rusted  that  a  narrow  strip  from  head 
to  tail  on  each  side  dropped  to  pieces  completely. 

For  skeleton  wood  stretchers  use  straight 
osier,  willow  or  hickory  switches  as  thick  as  the 
finger.  Cut  two  short  cross  pieces,  and  carefully 
hending  the  long  piece  at  the  middle  nail  these  in 
with  a  small  wire  nail  at  each  end.  A  handful 

41 


42  HOME  MANUFACTURE  OF  FURS 

of  shingle  nails  and  a  clump  of  osier  sprouts  will 
make  a  full  outfit  of  "cased''  stretchers  when  it 
is  desirable  to  travel  light. 

A  modification  of  this  eliminates  the  need  of 
tacks  or  nails  even  in  stretching  muskrats.  The 
sapling  cut  for  a  stretcher  is  long  enough  to 
have  <a  surplus  of  one  or  two  feet  which  is  left 
on  the  butt  end.  The  small  end  is  bent  into  the 
proper  shape  for  the  stretcher,  crosspiece  and  all 
and  twisted  or  lashed  in  place  with  bark. 

In  skinning  the  muskrat,  the  tail  is  split  on 
each  side  and  skinned  off  as  two  strips  connected 
with  the  under  and  upper  side  of  the  pelt.  After 
drawing  on  the  stretcher  these  strips  are  pulled 
back  and  tied  around  the  crosspiece.  The  skin 
of  the  hind  legs  is  drawn  back  and  the  knife 
blade  forced  through  it  and  into  the  wood  a 
short  distance  at  a  slant.  When  the  knife  is 
withdrawn  the  edge  of  the  skin  will  catch  in  the 
cut  and  hold  it  securely. 

By  pushing  the  long  end  of  the 
sapling  stretcher  into  the  ground  it 
will  hold  it  upright  to  dry.  For 
ingenuity  in  making  the  materials 
at  hand  serve  the  purpose  this 
seems  hard  to  beat.  When  the  skin 
is  dry  the  switch  is  bent  or  broken 
?dU!ndatstSreic£  and  removed.  Absolutely  nothing 
HiT(?wendTS"  DUt  a  knife  an-d  switch  are  required 


STIUrrCHING  AND  CURING  FUR  SKINS 


to  skin  and  stretch  a  niuskrat  when  "tied  with 
his  own  tail."  Natural  forked  branches  are 
sometimes  made  nse  of,  but  on  account  of  their 
poor  shape  and  variations,  hardly  any  two  being 


alike,     they 
stretchers. 


are     not     recommended     as     fur 


For  making 
board  stretchers 
soft  pine,  poplar, 
cedar  or  other  light 
111  a  t  e  r  i  a  1  is  best, 
and  old  dry  goods 
boxes  are  often 
taken  apart  and 
used.  Board  stretch- 
ers should  be  plan- 
ed and  the  edges 
smoothly  chamfer- 
ed and  r  o  11  n  d  e  d. 
The  three  piece  or 
wedge  stretcher  is 
made  by  ripping  a 
wedge  shaped  piece 
from  the  center  af- 
ter the  outline  of 
the  board  has  been  finished.  For 
convenience  and  to  prevent  buck- 
ling when  inserted  in  the  skin,  nail  two  small 
cleats  to  the  base  of  one  side  piece. 


Board  Stretcher 
for   Skunk. 


Heavy  Galvanized 
Wire  Skunk  Skin 
Stretcher. 


44  HOME  MANUFACTURE  OF  FURS 

A  thin  board  stretcher  in  one  piece  with  a 
narrow  "sword  stick"  on  each  side  will  fully 
stretch  and  cure  the  skin  faster  and  better  than 
where  only  the  outside  is  exposed  to  the  air. 
When  fully  dry  removing  the  swords  relieves  the 
skin  of  the  stretching  equally  as  well  as  with- 
drawing the  wedge  of  the  other  style.  As  to  the 
dimensions  of  these  boards  it  must  be  borre  in 
mind  that  animals  vary  greatly  in  size  in  differ- 
ent sections  of  the  country. 

The  two  illustrations  of  stretchers  for  skunk 
tvhich  are  shown  as  30  inches  long  and  8  at  base 
can  be  made  larger  or  smaller  for  skunk  of  var- 
ious sizes  as  well  as  for  other  animals,  the  skins 
of  which  are  handled  cased.  Some  use  boards 
that  are  more  pointed  thus  stretching  skins 
longer,  especially  the  head  and  nose. 

By  laying  the  unskinned  animal  on  its  back 
and  marking  around  it  near  the  end  of  the  fur 
the  approximate  size  and  shape  for  a  stretcher 
can  be  obtained,  but  it  is  well  to  have  such  things 
prepared  in  advance,  so  will  give  some  of  the 
proper  sizes.  The  measurement  given  as*  shoulder 
is  usually  about  %  or  14  the  entire  length,  from 
the  nose. 

Muskrat,  (dimensions  in  inches).  Length 
20  to  24.  Base  5  to  7.  Shoulder  4  to  614. 

Mini;  Marten.  Length  18  to  28.  Base  2y2 
to  434.  Shoulder  2  to  41/4. 


STRETCHING  AND  CURING  FUR  SKINS  45 

Wcaxcl.  Length  10.  Base  2  to  2VL>.  shoul- 
der 114  to  2. 

Ojtofsftunt,  tiknuk.  Length  25  to  30.  Base 
6  to  8.  Shoulder  5  to  (P/i. 

Raccoon.  Length  28  to  32.  Base  Sy2  to 
10'/4.  Shoulder  OVi>  to  8Vo. 

Fo.e,  Fisher.  Length  42  to  4H.  Base  6i/o  to 
8.  Shoulder  5  to  0. 

Otter.  Extra  long  so  tail  can  be  tacked  out. 
Length  48  to  72.  Base  (i  to  S1/^  Shoulder  5 
to  01/4. 

Li/n.r,  Coyotes.  Length  GO  to  GO.  Base  11. 
Shoulder  7  to  9. 

Animals  the  size  of  raccoon  and  larger  re- 
quire boards  ]/:>  to  %  inches  thick,  for  smaller 
ones  14  inch  thickness  is  sufficient. 

These  stretchers  are  inserted  in  the  skins  as 
they  are  removed,  with  fur  side  in,  back  on  one 
side  of  the  board,  belly  on  the  other,  the  skin  is 
drawn  on  snugly  and  tacked  at  the  hind  feet, 
then  the  wedge  or  "swords"  as  the  case  may  be 
are  pushed  in  until  it  is  fully  stretched  sideways, 
when  a  few  more  tacks  across  the  base  will  se- 
cure it. 

Skunk  should  have  the  tail  spread  and  se- 
cured with  a  fe\v  tacks,  and  the  otter's  tail  re- 
quires spreading  and  tacking  at  short  intervals 
its  entire  length. 


46 


HOME  MANUFACTURE  OF  FURS 


The  front  legs  of  lynx  and  coyote  may  be  par- 
tiafly  distended  by  pieces  of  thin  board  like  lath 
or  by  bent  twigs. 

Raccoon  are 
sometimes  s  k  i  n- 
ned,  cased  and 
stretched  on  a 
board  shaped  like 
the  cut  herewith. 
The  back  of  the 
skin  is  placed  on 
the  long  ed(/f  of 
this  board,  how- 
ever, and  when 
dry  it  is  cut 
down  the  front, 
making  an  open  skin  of  this  shape.  Many  skins 
are  stretched  open  on  the  barn  door,  but  the 
method  of  lacing  in  a  hoop  or  frame  is  far  su- 
perior, as  it  allows  the  air  access  to  both  sides 
and  they  are  easily  hung  out  of  reach  of  dogs 
or  other  animals.  Bear  and  similar  sizes  require 
rectangular  frames  well  braced,  while  round  or 
oval  hoops  suit  smaller  skins. 

These  and  the  larger  frames  may  be  made  in 
the  woods  of  saplings  lashed  together  with  cord 
or  wire.  A  sacking  or  sail  needle  with  heavy 
twine  is  used  to  lace  the  skins  in  place  and  the 
lacing  should  be  in  four  pieces,  so  that  each  side 


ONE  PIECE  STKKTCHKR  FOR  OPEN 
RACCOON 


STRETCHING  AND  CURING  FUR  SKINS  47 

^an  be  loosened  or  stretched  separately.  Beaver 
#re  given  an  oval  shape  two  or  three  inches 
longer  than  they  are  wide,  raccoon  nearly  rec- 
tangular. 

Use  plenty  of  stitches  or  tacks  to  avoid 
drawing  out  in  points.  Stretching  a  "coon" 
skin  with  six  nails  does  not  enhance  its  value. 
Large  tacks  are  easiest  to  handle  and  the  brass 
headed  upholstery  variety  suit  for  small  skins, 
with  wire  shingle  or  box  nails  for  large  ones. 

Never  upeg  out"  skins  if  any  other  way  to 
stretch  is  possible,  as  the  necessary  slits  around 
the  edge  disfigure  the  skin  and  the  dampness  of 
the  ground  will  hardly  aid  in  drying,  while  ex- 
posed to  both  weather  and  animals.  Many  skins 
of  polar  bear  are  stretched  thus  for  want  of  suit- 
able material  for  drying  frames  in  the  Arctic 
where  they  are  killed,  and  leopards  and  jaguars 
from  the  Tropics  often  receive  the  same  treat- 
ment, though  not  for  the  same  reason. 

After  a  skin  has  been  properly  taken  off  and 
stretched  it  should  be  hung  in  some  cool,  dry, 
airy  place  until  dry,  before  removing  from  the 
boards,  with  the  exception  that  fox,  marten  and 
lynx  are  left  two  or  three  days  until  partially 
dried,  then  removed,  turned  fur  side  out  and  re- 
placed. Do  not  cure  furs  in  the  sun  or  near  a 
fire.  Under  a  wagon  shed,  a  bough  house  or  a 
tent  fly  is  a  good  place,  or  thick  tree  shade  will 
do.  Sometimes  in  camping  it  is  necessary  to 


48  HOME  MANUFACTURE  OF  FURS 

pack  up  and  move  before  skins  can  be  thoroughly 
dried,  and  in  such  a  case  they  may  be  exposed 
to  a  little  fire  heat  to  dry  the  flesh  sides  so  they 
will  not  stick  together. 

If  the  weather  is  cool  they  will  often  keep 
for  some  time  without  stretching  or  curing.  We 
once  dressed  a  bunch  of  South  American  foxes, 
(thirty  days  from  the  Straits  of  Magellan  by 
steamer),  that  had  never  been  stretched  or  dried 
and  but  little  fur  slipped. 

Trappers  usually  skin  their  catch  along  the 
trap  line  and  carry  the  pelts  turned  fur  out,  so 
leaves  and  dirt  will  not  stick  to  them,  to  head- 
quarters for  stretching  and  curing. 

The  skin  of  a  frozen  animal  is  all  right  so 
long  as  it  remains  frozen,  but  should  be  removed 
when  thawed  out.  Do  not  expose  to  intense  heat 
in  the  thawing  process  or  the  fur  may  be  injured 
before  the  flesh  is  thawed. 

Much  of  this  and  the  preceding  chapters  will 
be  unnecessary  to  many  readers,  as  of  late  years, 
handlers  of  fur  skins  have  informed  themselves 
of  the  most  up-to-date  methods,  still  I  have  seen 
a  professional  furrier  stretch  a  green  fox  skin 
on  an  inch  board,  hacked  into  a  rough  shape  with 
a  hatchet. 

When  furs  are  thoroughly  dry  remove  from 
the  boards,  string  in  loose  bunches  and  hang  in  a 
cool  room,  preferably  a  rather  dark  one,  as  t^l 
much  sunlight  will  fade  most  furs  badly. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

IIANDLIXC    OTHER  SKINS  AND   HIDES. 

THOUGH  intended  for  the  dresser  of  skins, 
as  the  hides  of  all  furbearers  and  other 
animals  not  larger  than  the  deer  are 
classified,  it  may  he  well  to  refer  briefly  to  the 
handling  of  what  are,  strictly  speaking,  hides 
and  of  some  smaller  fur  bearing  skins  also. 

It  is  not  our  intention  to  direct  how  to  turn 
heavy  hides  into  leather,  as  to  do  so  with  any 
success  or  profit  requires  special  and  expensive 
apparatus,  but  only  some  points  on  their  taking 
off  and  curing,  before  sending  to  a  regularly 
equipped  tannery. 

The  domestic  animals  liable  to  fall  into  our 
hands  for  skinning  and  curing  are  the  horse, 
cattle,  goat,  sheep,  pig,  dog  and  cat.  Remove  the 
4: ins  of  all  these  except  perhaps  the  cat,  as  di- 
-ected  in  skinning  animals  open,  making  as  few 
!in necessary  cuts  and  jagged  useless  points  and 
tags  as  yon  can.  In  the  case  of  horned  cattle 
split  up  the  face  and  cut  around  the  horns,  re- 
move all  pieces  of  flesh  and  fat,  spread  out  level 
on  ground  or  floor  and  use  plenty  of  coarse  salt 
on  the  flesh  side.  If  they  are  to  be  shipped  green, 

49 


50  HOME  MANUFACTURE  OF  FURS 

heavy  hides  should  remain  thus  for  two  days. 
On  the  third  day  turn  over  and  salt  well  over 
the  hair  side,  roll  up  flesh  side  out  and  ship  in 
box  or  sack. 

If  desirable  to  dry  the  skin  out  to  lighten 
transportation  or  to  store  it,  after  lying  in  the 
salt  two  or  three  days  hang  up  over  some  poles 
until  nearly  dry,  when  it  can  be  rolled  or  folded 
up  with  the  hair  side  in.  The  skins  of  deer, 
moose  and  elk  may  be  treated  in  the  same  way. 

Don't  leave  hides  lie  around  in  a  pile  after 
skinning.  To  do  so  for  an  hour  while  the  animal 
heat  is  in  them  may  ruin  them.  Don't  be  stiugy 
with  salt,  an  extra  five  cents  worth  may  save 
dollars  and  can  hurt  nothing. 

In  cool  dry  weather  quite  heavy  hides  may 
be  cured  without  salt  by  simply  drying,  but 
would  not  advise  trying  it  if  salt  is  to  be  had. 
Keep  them  in  the  dry  while  curing,  under  a  roof 
if  you  can. 

The  'skins  of  goats,  sheep,  dogs  and  pigs  may 
be  laced  in  frames  and  cured  without  the  use  of 
salt  quite  readily.  Dog  skin,  while  not  a  very 
durable  leather,  can  be  used  in  many  ways,  and 
I  have  often  wondered  why  it  was  not  utilized 
to  a  greater  extent  in  this  country.  Domestic 
cats  receive  treatment  identical  with  their  wild 
relatives. 


HANDLING  OTHER  SKINS  AND  HIDES  51 

There  is  quite  a  list  of  marine  mammals  an 
occasional  skin  of  which  may  turn  up,  and  more 
rarely  the  skin  of  some  large  fish.  Among  these 
are  the  seals,  both  fur  and  hair,  sea  lions,  walrus, 
n;auatee,  shark,  ray,  porpoise  and  even  whale. 

The  seals  and  sea  lions  are  usually  skinned 
by  making  a  single  cut  from  chin  to  tail  flippers 
along  the  under  side  and  may  be  stretched  and 
dried  in  a  hoop,  but  are  mostly  salted  without 
stretching.  Most  of  the  others  on  the  list  have 
another  cut  made  down  the  back  separating  the 
skin  in  two  sides  which  are  salted  without 
stretching. 

The  only  species  of  whale  the  skin  of  which 
is  utilized  to  any  extent  is  the  beluga  or  white 
whale,  the  skin  of  which  is  known  as  "porpoise 
leather,"  and  is  extremely  adaptable  for  foot 
wear.  The  infrequent  skins  of  fish  to  be  dressed 
are  salted  to  cure  them  also. 

Frogs,  lizards,  snakes  and  most  commonly 
alligators,  represent  the  class  of  reptiles  furnish- 
ing work  for  the  skin  dresser.  Frogs  and  lizards 
are  skinned  open  and  salted,  as  the  skins  of  all 
reptiles  should  be,  in  order  to  attain  the  best  re- 
sults in  dressing.  Snakes  are  split  down  the 
center  of  the  under  plates  or  scales  from  head  to 
tail  tip  before  skinning.  Salt  (with  fine  salt)  if 
possible,  if  not,  tack  on  a  board  in  the  shade  until 
dry,  then  roll  up. 


ALLIGATOR     SKINS  —  UNDER 
SURFACE  AND  HORN  BACK 


HANDLING  OTHER  SKINS  AND  HIDES  53 

In  removing  alligator  skins  two  methods  are 
followed,  the  most  common  being  to  cut  the  skin 
from  the  head  to  tail  along  each  side  of  the  horny 
ridge  of  the  back.  Cuts  are  made  running  from 
these  longitudinal  ones,  to  and  along  the  middle 
of  each  of  the  legs  on  their  outer  sides.  After 
cutting  around  the  jaws  the  skin  is  peeled  off  in 
one  piece.  This  is  the  usual  method  in  the  Gulf 
States  where  the  horny  back  skin  is  not  saved,  at 
least  from  the  larger  specimens. 

The  skins  from  Mexico  and  Central  America 
are  opened  by  a  cut,  from  lower  jaw  to  tail  in  the 
middle  of  the  under  surface  of  the  animal,  with 
cuts  along  the  inner  sides  of  the  legs  from  the 
wrists  to  the  central  line.  This  preserves  the 
back  entire,  making  the  so-called  "horn  alliga- 
tor" leather.  Great  care  should  be  used  in  skin- 
ning, as  knife  cuts  which  are  hardly  noticeable 
in  the  raw  skins  become  so  apparent  when  dress- 
ed as  to  damage  such  skins  greatly. 

Immediately  on  removing,  the  inner  surface 
of  the  skin  should  be  carefully  rubbed  with  fine 
salt,  taking  care  to  work  it  well  into  all  folds 
and  crevices.  Fold  the  edges  and  skin  of  legs  in, 
roll  the  skin  up  in  a  compact  bundle  and  place 
in  a  cool,  dry  place.  Never  let  the  alligator  hides 
dry  out  but  after  curing  somewhat,  salt  again 
and  pack  in  tight  boxes  or  barrels,  using  plenty 
of  salt. 


54  HOME  MANUFACTURE  OF  FURS 

Formerly  only  the  skin  from  the  underpart 
and  sides  of  this  animal  were  used,  as  the  back 
is  so  heavily  armored  with  horny  plates  that  it 
was  considered  useless  for  leather  except  in  the 
case  of  verj-  small  hides.  Improvements  in  hand- 
ling have  made  it  possible  to  prepare  the  back 
almost  as  readily  as  the  thinner  parts,  and  the 
demand  for  such  is  mostly  supplied  by  skins 
from  Central  America  and  Mexico,  most  of  which 
have  the  back  preserved  entire.  Skins  from  the 
United  States  are  seldom  cut  "horn  back''  be- 
cause they  are  not  as  flexible  on  the  back  as*  the 
Mexican  variety. 

The  heads  and  paws  are  often  left  on  small 
skins  and  mounted  on  the  hand  bags  and  satchels 
made  of  the  leather.  Large  "gator"  paws,  dress- 
ed and  furnished  with  clasps,  make  unique 
purses  which  find  ready  sale  as  souvenirs. 

Hides  over  ten  feet  in  length  arc1  seldom  used 
owing  to  the  hardness  of  the  cuticular  plates, 
making  it  difficult  to  so  tan  them  as  to  have  any 
value  for  purposes  of  leather,  though  some  as 
long  as  seventeen  feet  have  been  prepared. 

Bird  skins  are  occasionally  wanted  dressed, 
usually  the  breasts  of  water  fowl,  such  as  grebes, 
ducks,  loons  and  swans.  The  skin  of  the  under 
part  of  the  bodies  of  these  birds  is  removed  in 
one  piece  and  stretched  flat  by  tacking  on  a 
board.  They  are  used  for  trimming  hats  and 


HANDLING  OTHER  SKINS  AND  HIDES  5S 

coats  and  sometimes  for  muffs  and  collarettes 
also.  The  Indians  of  the  North  sometimes  make 
a  raincoat  of  loon  breasts,  which  sheds  water 
very  well. 


CHAPTER  V. 

STORING  AND  SHIPPING  RAW  FURS. 

RAW  furs  should  never  be  shipped  in  a 
green,  uncured  state  even  for  short  dis- 
tances if  it  can  be  avoided.  Unforseen 
occurrences  may  prevent  delivery  when  expected 
and  part  or  all  of  the  shipment  may  be  spoiled. 
If  raw  skins  recently  taken  off  are  salted  for  t\vo 
or  three  days  and  then  rolled  up  with  plenty  of 
salt  the  chances  will  be  better,  but  such  packages 
need  either  a  tight  container  or  plenty  of  absorb- 
ents packed  with  them,  as  they  are  liable  to  drip 
moisture.  The  best  plan  is  to  stretch  and  dry 
all  fur  skins  thoroughly.  This  not  only  prevents 
spoiling  en  route  but  greatly  decreases  the  trans- 
portation charges. 

Fatty  skins  should  be  well  fleshed  also;  they 
are  liable  to  be  held  in  hot,  close  cars  and  ware- 
houses, and  the  fat  and  grease,  which  must  be 
removed  anyway,  will  help  to  make  the  express 
charge  higher.  In  packing  furs,  lay  them  flat 
with  as  little  bending  and  folding  as  possible. 

Skins  with  the  fur  sHe  out  should  not  be 
placed  next  the  flesh  side  of  others,  but  wrapped 
separately.  Tie  or  bale  all  packages  tightly  with 

56 


STORING  AM)  SI11LT1M;  RAW  FURS  57 

the  coarser  skins  on  the  outside.  Do  not  ship 
one  cased  skin  inside  another.  Fold  large  skins 
with  legs,  head  and  fur  inside. 

Skunk  skins  that  are  scented  may  not  be 
shipped  by  express  or  parcel  post  unless  in  a 
tight  container.  As  this  is  hardly  practicable  or 
profitable,  with  a  few  skins  at  least,  such  skins 
should  be  de-odorized.  To  remove  the  odor  of 
skunk  from  clothes  or  skins,  soak  them  for  thirty 
minutes  to  an  hour  in  gasoline,  wash  well  in  it, 
wring  out  and  hang  in  the  open  air  until  it  evap- 
orates. Don't  do  this  near  a  lamp  or  fire  of  any 
kind  and  don't  try  to  smoke  while  doing  it.  Out- 
doors is  the  best  place  to  operate.  If  skins  are 
scraped  first,  nearly  all  grease  will  be  removed 
by  this,  but  an  additional  process  is  necessary  to 
clean  the  fur  completely.  Handlers  of  raw  furs 
will  do  well  to  remember  that  a  little  gasoline 
will  remove  evil  odors  and  grease  from  the  hands 
at  once. 

When  shipping  raw  skins  by  parcel  post  it 
is  a  good  plan  to  wrap  them  in  a  piece  of  either 
old  or  new  oilcloth  before  the  final  paper  wrap- 
ping, as  they  will  be  thrown  out  of  the  mail  if 
there  is  danger  of  the  grease  injuring  other  ar- 
ticles. 

Express  packages  are  best  sewn  up  in  burlap 
or  cloth,  even  large  bales  of  skins  handling  nicely 
with  a  double  wrapping  of  burlap.  All  packages 


NORTHERN  FURS— OTTER,  FOX,  LYNX 

Note  the  color  and  heavy  fur.     Photo  from  "Fur  Buyers'  Guide," 
which  explains  value  of  raw  furs. 


58 


STOKING  AND  SHIPPING  RAW  FURS  59 

should  be  marked  plainly  inside  and  out  with 
address  of  shipper  and  consignee. 

Unless  skins  are  thoroughly  cleaned  and 
cured  they  are  apt  to  suffer  during  a  sea  voyage, 
the  moist,  close  atmosphere  of  a  ship's  hold  being 
particularly  favorable  to  the  development  of 
mold  and  mildew. 

When  shipping  skins  for  dressing  or  sale  on 
approval  they  should  all  bear  some  mark,  for 
even  where  the  honesty  of  all  parties  concerned 
is  beyond  question,  some  confusion  and  mistakes 
are  almost  certain  to  occur  where  similar  skins 
are  handled  in  large  numbers.  Furs  sent  on  ap- 
proval are  generally  sealed  with  a  metal,  (tin  or 
lead),  seal  and  seal  press,  a  small  duplicate  of 
that  used  on  box  car  doors.  Paper  tags  with 
price  or  other  marks  are  threaded  on  the  wire  or 
cord  loop. 

Skins  for  dressing  must  be  marked  other- 
wise, as  the  seals  would  be  in  the  workman's 
way.  Raw  Skin  Stamps,  consisting  of  a  mallet 
or  hammer,  the  face  of  which  contains  steel  pins 
arranged  to  form  various  letters,  are  used  for 
this  purpose  by  furriers  and  dressers.  The  skin 
is  laid  on  a  block  of  rubber  or  a  pad  of  some 
kind  and  struck  a  blow  with  the  stamp,  perforat- 
ing it  in  the  design  of  the  stamp.  This  perfora- 
tion is  usually  at  some  certain  spot,  as  the  center 
of  the  back,  between  the  ears  or  at  the  base  of  the 


NORTHWESTERN     FURS  —  WILD     CAT,     MINK,     MARTEN, 
BEAVER,    WEASEL,   MUSKRAT,   WOLF 

(Photo  from  "Fur   Buyer's  Guide" — see  page  286.) 


60 


STOKING  AND  SHIPPING  RAW  FURS 


61 


o     o 
o     o 


I  O  O      O  O  O       O  O 


:\  i  A  it  K I N  ( J    It  A  W    F  U  R  S 


tail,  where  it  cannot  well  be  cut  away  and  does 
not  injure  the  fur  at  all. 

An  i  n  e  x- 
pensive  in  a  r  k- 
i  n  g  apparatus 
is  easily  made 
for  a  few  cents, 
and  will  answer 
all  purposes 
where  a  small 
number  of  skir.s  are  to  be  handled.  On  a  slip  of 
sheet  metal,  tin,  copper  or  brass,  1x3  inches, 
write  or  scratch  your  initials,  and  laying  it  on  a 
wooden  block  with  a  hammer  and  awl  prick  the 
letters  through.  Smooth  this  on  the  back  with  a 
tile  and  placing  it  on  the  skin  to  be  marked,  per- 
forate through  the  holes  in  the  marking  plate 
with  a  sharp,  slender  awl.  Additional  letters 
or  figures  can  be  made  to  mark  certain  skins  or 
lots  of  skins.  Skins  taken  for  dressing,  if  valu- 
able, should  be  marked  in  the  presence  of  cus- 
tomer or  witnesses*  to  avoid  controversy. 

To  store  raw  furs  over  summer  without  cold 
storage  is  a  risky  proceeding  in  all  except  the 
Northern  States,  and  one  involving  quite  a  little 
trouble.  Probably  the  best  way  to  keep  any 
quantity  would  be  to  hang  the  skins,  free  from 
fat  and  flesh,  in  loose  bunches  in  dry,  cool  and 
rather  dark  rooms. 


62  HOME  MANUFACTURE  OF  FURS 

Various  moth  deterents  are  used,  such  as 
naphthaline,  tobacco,  etc.,  but  unless  the  room  is 
about  air  tight  they  seem  to  do  little  good.  An 
open  dish  of  car-bou  bisulphide  will  make  insect 
life  absolutely  impossible  in  a  tight  room,  but  the 
vapor  from  it  is  so  highly  explosive  and  inflam- 
mable it  is  seldom  used  except  in  museum  cases. 

A  few  skins  well  cleaned  can  be  wrapped 
well  separately  and  kept  in  tight  paper  bags  in 
an  airy  loft  or  similar  place,  but  for  the  holding 
over  of  any  considerable  amount  of  raw  furs, 
storage  at  or  about  the  freezing  point  is  best.  For 
such  storage  they  may  be  tightly  baled,  reducing 
the  charges  to  a  minimum,  as  they  are  calculated 
on  the  cubic  space  occupied  principally. 

Cattle  hides  are  frequently  treated  to  pre- 
vent damage  by  insects  during  the  summer  by 
sprinkling  them  on  both  sides  with  a  solution  of 
arsenic  made  as  follows: 

Red  or  White  Arsenic 1.0  Ibs. 

Concentrated  Lye 4  oz. 

Water 8  gals. 

Put  the  arsenic  and  lye  in  a  tub,  pour  the 
water  over  them  and  let  stand  a  week.  Mix  one 
part  of  this  with  five  parts  of  water  and  use  in  a 
garden  sprinkler,  or  a  sprayer  would  be  more 
economical. 

A  shipper  who  packs  his  furs  in  good  shape 
gives  us  these  simple  directions  for  baling  so  as 


STOKING  AND  SHIPPING  RAW  FURS  63 

to  make  a  neat  looking  bundle  substantial 
enough  to  arrive  at  its  destination  in  good  shape 
and  look  its  best  when  opened. 

Take  a  box  with  a  bottom  the  size  you  wish 
the  bottom  of  your  bale  of  furs  to  be,  and  turn  it 
bottom  down  on  the  floor  near  the  wall.  Then 
spread  a  piece  of  burlap  on  it  large  enough  to 
hang  over  the  edges  a  few  inches  all  around. 
Put  on  this  a  piece  of  heavy  paper  a  little  snial-. 
ler  than  the  burlap.  Now  lay  on  you?  furs  in  a 
flat  square  pile  the  shape  of  the  box.  Brush  the 
fur  out  straight  and  smooth  as  you  place  them 
in  the  pile.  When  all  are  in  place  cover  with 
paper  and  burlap  similar  to  that  at  the  bottom. 

Cover  the  top  of  the  pile  with  several  pieces 
of  board  crosswise  of  the  bale.  Nail  a  cleat  to 
the  wall  somewhat  below  the  top  of  the  pile  and 
catch  one  end  of  a  scantling  or  heavy  board  un- 
der this  cleat.  This  lever  should  come  lengthwise 
of  the  bale  and  when  well  pressed  down,  get  some 
one  to  hold  it  or  fasten  it,  while  you  fold  the 
edges  of  paper  and  burlap  in  neatly  on  both 
sides.  With  a  sail  needle  and  cord  sew  the  bur- 
lap together  along  the  sides,  remove  the  lever, 
fold  in  and  sew  the  ends  and  you  have  a  trim, 
secure  bundle.  Put  a  stout  cord  around  it 
lengthwise  and  crosswise  a  couple  of  times  to 
furnish  something  to  handle  it  by,  tie  the  ship- 
ping tags  on  and  the  bale  is  ready  for  shipment. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

INDIAN   SKIN   DRESSING. 

WHILE  the  art  of  fur  and  skin  dressing 
is  at  its  greatest  efficiency  at  the  pres- 
ent time,  probably  the  American  Indian 
was  at  one  time  the  best  dresser  of  American  ani- 
mal skins,  and  the  art  of  tanning  as  practiced 
now  has  been  gradually  evolved  from  primitive 
processes. 

A  writer  says  on  this  subject  in  regard  to 
the  European  race:  "The  ancients  detached  the 
flesh  from  the  skins  with  sharpened  stones  and 
dried  them  in  the  -sun,  after  which  they  were 
rubbed  with  oil  or  grease  extracted  from  the  in- 
testines of  the  slaughtered  animals,  and  a  polish 
was  added  to  the  skins  by  rubbing  them  with 
porous  stones. 

The  hides  of  bullocks,  horses  and  other  large 
animals  were  used  to  make  the  tents  which  shel- 
tered the  early  Patriarchs,  and  the  skins  of  the 
leopards,  tigers  and  smaller  animals  supplied  the 
wearing  apparel  with  which  they  were  able  to 
glorify  themselves  before  their  fellowmen. 

At  a  later  period  the  adhering  particles  of 
flesh  remaining  on  the  skin  when  it  was  wrench- 

64 


INDIAN  SKIN  DRESSING  65 

ed  from  the  animal  were  removed  with  bone, 
stone  and  iron  instruments,  and  the  skins  were 
washed  so  as  to  open  the  pores  and  cleanse  them 
from  dust  and  dirt.  After  this  was  done  they 
\vere  exposed  to  the  frost. 

"Later  still  it  was  discovered  that  the  skins 
would  be  greatly  improved  by  plunging  them 
into  water  containing  a  solution  of  alum,  and 
then  putting  them  into  vinegar.  These  baths  pro- 
tected the  skins  from  rotting.  After  they  had 
been  dried  in  the  shade  the  skins  were  moistened 
again  and  beaten,  stretched  and  otherwise  manip- 
ulated until  they  were  supple,  clean,  and  free 
from  disagreeable  odors." 

Probably  the  best  description  of  Indian  skin 
dressing  was  written  by  Catlin  in  1832  while 
among  the  Crows  and  Sioux.  Paintings  made  by 
him  at  that  time,  now  in  the  National  Museum, 
show  squaws  unhairiug  and  dressing  buffalo 
hides  laced  in  a  frame  and  pegged  on  the  ground. 
The  work  is  described  as  follows : 

"The  Crows,  like  the  Blackfeet,  are  beauti- 
fully costumed,  and  perhaps  with  somewhat 
more  of  taste  and  elegance;  inasmuch  as  the 
skins  of  which  their  dresses  are  made  are  more 
delicately  and  whitely  dressed.  The  art  of  dress- 
ing skins  belongs  to  the  Indians  in  all  countries; 
and  the  Crows  surpass  the  civilized  world  in  the 
beauty  of  their  skin-dressing.  The  art  of  tanning 


-    ;:;;•  -j:--^^:  ?  ^.^L^l     w    }« 

•  ^ 


3  SI 


66 


INDIAN  SKIN  DUESS1NG  67 

is  unknown  to  them,  so  far  as  civilized  habits  and 
arts  have  not  been  taught  them;  yet  the  art  of 
dressing  skins,  so  far  as  we  have  it  in  the  civi- 
lized world,  has  been  (like  hundreds  of  other 
ornamental  and  useful  customs  which  we  are 
practicing)  borrowed  from  the  savage,  without 
our  ever  stopping  to  inquire  from  whence  they 
come,  or  by  whom  invented. 

"The  usual  mode  of  dressing  the  buffalo  aiid 
other  skins  is  by  immersing  them  for  a  few  days 
under  a  lye  from  ashes  and  water,  until  the  hair 
can  be  removed,  when  they  are  strained  upon  a 
frame  or  upon  the  ground,  with  stakes  or  pins 
driven  through  the  edges  into  the  earth,  where 
they  remain  for  several  days,  with  the  brains  of 
the  bulTalo  or  elk  spread  upon  and  over  them, 
and  at  last  finished  by  'graining,'  as  it  is  termed, 
by  the  squaws,  who  use  a  sharpened  bone,  the 
shoulder-blade,  or  other  large  bone  of  the  animal, 
sharpened  at  the  edge,  somewhat  like  an  adze, 
with  the  edge  of  which  they  scrape  the  fleshy  side 
of  the  skin,  bearing  on  it  with  the  weight  of  their 
bodies,  thereby  drying  and  softening  the  skin  and 
fitting  it  for  use. 

"The  greater  part  of  these  skins,  however, 
go  through  still  another  operation  afterward, 
which  gives  them  a  greater  value  and  renders 
them  much  more  serviceable — that  is,  the  process 
uf  smoking.  For  this  a  small  hole  is  dug  in  the 


INDIAN  SKIN  DRESSING  69 

ground,  and  a  fire  is  bnilt  in  it  with  rotten  wood, 
which  will  produce  a  great  quantity  of  smoke 
without  much  blaze,  and  several  small  poles  of 
the  proper  length  stuck  in  the  ground  around  it, 
and  drawn  and  fastened  together  at  the  top, 
around  which  a  skin  is  wrapped  in  form  of  a  tent, 
and  generally  sewed  together  at  the  edges  to  se- 
cure the  smoke  within  it.  Within  this  the  skins 
to  be  smoked  are  placed,  and  in  this  connection 
the  tent  will  stand  a  day  or  so,  inclosing  the 
hen  ted  smoke;  and  by  some  chemical  process  or 
other,  which  I  do  not  understand,  the  skins  thus 
acquire  a  quality  which  enables  them,  after  be- 
ing ever  so  many  times  wet,  to  dry  soft  and  pliant 
as  they  were  before,  which  secret  I  have  never 
yet  seen  practiced  in  my  own  country;  and  for 
the  lack  of  which,  all  of  our  dressed  skins,  when 
once  wet,  are,  I  think,  chiefly  ruined. 

"An  Indian's  dress  of  deer  skins,  which  is 
wet  a  hundred  times  upon  his  back,  dries  soft; 
and  his  lodge  also,  which  stands  in  the  rains  and 
even  through  the  severity  of  winter,  is  taken 
down  as  soft  and  clean  as  when  it  was  first  put 
up. 

"A  Crow  is  known  wherever  he  is  met  by  his 
beautiful  white  dress,  and  his  tall  and  elegant 
figure;  the  greater  part  of  the  men  being  six 
feet  high.  The  Blackfeet,  on  the  other  hand,  are 
more  of  the  herculean  make  —  about  middling 


70  HOME  MANUFACTURE  OF  FURS 

stature,  with  broad  shoulders  and  great  expan- 
sion of  chest;  and  the  skins  of  which  their  dress- 
es are  made  are  chiefly  dressed  black,  or  of  a  dark 
brown  color,  from  which  circumstance,  in  all 
probability,  they,  having  black  leggins  or  mocca- 
sins, have  got  the  name  of  Blackfeet/' 

The  same  writer  refers  frequently  to  the  skin 
clothing  worn  by  the  Indians,  both  men  and 
women,  as  being  especially  well  dressed,  as  no 
doubt  it  was.  Time  being  of  no  object  to  the 
Indian  of  that  day,  the  squaws  would  bestow 
unlimited  labor  on  choice  skins  for  the  making  of 
special  costumes,  and  then  as'  now,  elbow  grease 
was  the  most  useful  ingredient  in  tanning. 

The  African  Kaffirs  make  durable  leather, 
and  some  creditable  work  is  turned  out  by  the 
Eskimos  who  labor  under  the  disadvantage  of 
very  low  temperatures  prevailing  much  of  the 
time,  which  always  renders  dressing  slower  and 
more  difficult. 

Skin  dressing  tools  of  hard  polished  stone 
often  with  fair  cutting  edges  and  shaped  to  fit 
either  the  hand  or  a  wooden  haft,  are  found  in 
most  collections  of  stone  age  relics.  Some  of 
these  are  shaped  like  the  blade  of  a  howel  or 
round  edged  adze  and  were  hafted  and  used  in  a 
similar  manner,  the  hide  being  spread  on  a  piece 
of  level  ground,  with  a  portion  of  it  stretched  and 


INDIAN  SKIN  DRESSING  71 

held  firmly  between  the  feet  of  the  operator  while 
it  was  thinned  and  softened  by  chipping  strokes. 

The  woman's  knife  of  the  Eskimo  of  a  semi- 
lunar  shape  persists  in  the  saddler's  knife  and 
the  moon  knife  of  the  tanner;  its  only  descendant 
in  most  households  being  the  kitchen  chopping 
knife. 

Although  the  country  .abounded  with  sourc- 
es of  (annic  acid,  such  as  the  various  barks, 
acorns,  etc.,  their  properties  seem  to  have  re- 
mained as  unknown  to  the  native  Americans  as 
did  those  of  the  various  metals.  Salt  and  the 
aikalies  seem  to  have  never  been  used  either,  the 
hair  being  set  by  careful  drying  on  skins  wanted 
with  the  fur  on  and  the  softness  and  pliability  in 
all  cases  secured  by  a  liberal  use  of  grease,  both 
animal  and  elbow. 

Buckskin,  Indian  style,  is  made  about  as  fol- 
lows: After  removing  the  skin  from  the  deer  let 
it  lie  in  clear  water  or  a  mixture  of  water  and 
ashes  until  the  hair  and  grain  (epidermis)  will 
slip  readily.  Then  remove  and  throw  over  a 
beam  where  it  is  first  Ses'ned  and  then  grained 
with  either  an  iron  or  hardwood  graining  knife. 
The  brains  have  been  removed  from  the  head  of 
the  deer  and  boiled  for  an  hour  in  about  a  gallon 
of  water. 

Let  this  water  stand  until  it  cools  so  the 
hand  can  be  held  in  it,  then  put  in  the  grained 


72  HOME  MANUFACTURE  OF  FUKS 

skin  and  work  continually  for  two  or  three  min- 
utes by  squeezing,  wringing  and  stirring,  then 
take  it  out,  wring  it  and  pull  and  stretch  in  all 
directions  as  it  dries.  If  not  soft  enough  heat  up 
and  put  in  again,  work  and  dry  as  before. 

If  it  is  still  a  little  hard  apply  a  small 
amount  of  grease,  work  it  in  thoroughly  and  then 
smoke  it  over  a  fire  of  dozy  or  punky  wood.  Such 
half  decayed  wood  is  preferred,  as  it  gives  off  the 
maximum  amount  of  smoke  with  little  mime. 
Contact  with  flame  or  severe  heat  while  smoking 
will  burn  and  injure  the  buckskin. 

The  Indian  method  of  smoking  buckskin  by 
erecting  a  pole  frame  of  suitable  size  and  conical 
shape,  covering  it  with  the  skins  to  be  treated, 
lootsely  laced  together,  and  building  the  fire  in 
the  center  gives  equally  as  good  results  but  prob- 
ably no  better  than  the  white  man's  smoke  house. 

In  dressing  fur  skins,  the  hide  was  fleshed 
without  the  soaking  to  remove  the  hair  or  fur 
which  was  kept  as  dry  and  clean  as  possible. 
The  skin  was  stretched  out  and  the  brain  water 
applied  several  times  to  the  pelt  side  only.  It 
was  then  pulled  and  rubbed  until  soft,  in  much 
the  same  manner  as  the  buckskin.  No  especial 
process  was  used  to  cleanse  the  fur,  and  as  a 
consequence  it  was  often  greasy  at  the  edges  and 
more  or  less  dirty  and  odorous.  For  this  reason 
fur  skins  dressed  by  the  Indian  methods  are  not 


INDIAN  SKIN  DRESSING  73 

much  in  demand  nowadays.  There  is  no  doubt, 
however,  that  Indian  dressed  and  made  skin  gar- 
ments served  their  purpose  admirably  when  use 
and  not  ornament  was  the  end  principally  de- 
sired. Though  their  handling  was  defective  in 
many  ways  such  skins  would  last  as  long  under 
the  hard  usage  as  any,  the  comparatively  light 
wear  and  careful  treatment  given  furs  among 
civilized  people  being  chiefly  responsible  for  their 
long  lasting  qualities. 

It  is  nothing  unusual  for  rugs,  robes,  and 
garment  furs  to  be  in  use  for  from  twenty  to 
fifty  years  and  remain  in  good  order,  but  it  must 
be  kept  in  mind  that  such  furs  are  used  only  dur- 
ing the  coldest  months  and  carefully  stored  dur- 
ing the  remainder  of  the  time,  very  different  from 
the  conditions  obtaining  in  Indian  life. 

There  are  some  articles  of  Indian  manufac- 
ture still  on  the  market,  articles  for  which  the 
more  advanced  civilization  seems  not  to  have 
produced  a  duplicate.  Probably  because  the 
labor  involved  seems  so  much  out  of  proportion 
to  the  results.  The  manufacture  of  Indian  Robes 
is  so  interesting  that  it  has  been  made  the  sub- 
ject  of  our  next  chapter. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

INDIAN   FUR  KOBES. 

THE    writer's   first   recollections   of  a    fur 
robe,  over  forty  years  ago,  are  of  a  pecu- 
liar    smelling     woolly     "llutf'alo"     liide, 
which  he  was  told  had  been  tanned  by  the  In- 
dians.   It  was  sold  in  the  East  for  $5.00,  and  had 
probably  been  purchased  with  a  pint  or  so  of 
diluted  alcohol.     Until  the  practical  extermina- 
tion of  the  buffalo  the  Indian  dressed  robes  held 
the  market,  and  a  better  protection  from  cold 
and  storm  has  never  been  found. 

The  scarcity  of  large  fur  bearers  and  the 
cheapness  of  heavy  woven  blankets  have  lessened 
the  demand  for  fur  robes,  but  a  few  examples  of 
native  work  are  still  sold  and  in  use.  Some  of 
the  most  notable  of  these  are  the  robes  of  guan- 
aco  and  vicuna  skins  made  by  the  natives  of  Pata- 
gonia, South  America. 

The  skins  of  the  guanaco,  a  wild  variety  of 
the  llama,  are  chiefly  used,  and  are  sewed  with 
sinew  in  wonderfully  even  stitches.  The  oil 
dressed  skins  are  prone  to  crack  and  the  sinew 
to  stiffen  with  age  until  it  becomes  like  fine  wire, 
but  the  native  plan  of  joining  the  skins  is  calcu- 

74 


INDIAN   FUR  ROBES  75 

lated  to  reduce  the  waste  to  a  minimum  and  en- 
title the  makers  true  conservationists. 

Rows  of  skins  joined  head  to  tail  are  alter- 
nated across  the  width  of  the  robe,  as  the  woolly 
pelt  makes  it  unnecessary  to  run  it  all  the  same 
\vay.  By  this  method  the  entire  skin  of  the  body 
and  legs  is  utilized,  any  tabs  and  scraps  trimmed 
off  being  used  to  fill  out  the  edges.  Sometimes 
a  narrow  border  of  a  darker  variety  is  added,  and 
robes  of  the  softer  fur  of  the  vicuna  are  also  made 
by  the  same  people. 

Such  robes  as  these  are  quite  valuable,  and 
when  furnished  with  a  light  cloth  lining  are  well 
suited  for  carriage  wraps  or  couch  covers.  They 
make  fine  camp  blankets,  light  and  warm,  and 
are  in  demand  for  bed  covers  in  the  scattered 
ranch  houses  of  Patagonia. 

The  Eskimo  where  in  contact  with  whites 
make  some  robes  chiefly  of  seal  skins.  Quite 
elaborate  patterns  are  sometimes  worked  out  in 
these  using  pieces  of  skin  in  contrasting  colors. 
It  is  said  that  the  Boethicks,  natives  of  New- 
foundland, owe  their  extinction  to  the  robes  and 
clothing  of  valuble  furs  which  they  were  so  skill- 
ful in  taking  and  preparing. 

The  unprincipled  white  adventurers  and 
trappers  of  an  early  day  found  it  easier  and  more 
remunerative  to  shoot  down  and  rob  them  than 
to  capture  the  fur  bearers  themselves,  and  a  weak 


76 


HOME  MANUFACTURE  OP  FURS 


and  inoffensive  tribe  was  hunted  and  harried  out 
of  existence  before  any  adequate  protection  could 
be  given  them. 

A  peculiar  form  of  fur  robe  known  au  the 
Rabbit  Skin  Blanket  is  still  made  occasionally  by 
the  Indians  of  some  parts  of  Canada.  The  best 
description  of  its  mode  of  manufacture  and  use 
has  been  written  by  a  former  employee  of  the 
Hudson  Bay  Company,  Martin  Hunter,  to  whom 
we  are  indebted  for  the  following : 

"Some  thirty  years  ago  many  of  the  Indians 
along  the  northern  shores  of  Huron  and  Superior, 
Lake  of  the  Woods  and  on  to  the  Red  River  and 
away  up  in  the  far  North,  not  only  used  rabbit- 
skin  blankets  or  robes,  but  also  coats,  skirts, 
caps,  etc.,  made  from  the  skins  of  these  little 
animals.  Young  children  being  clothed  from  head 
to  foot,  cap,  coat,  pants,  mitts,  and  socks  all  being 
made  of  rabbit-skins,  and  thus  dressed  they 
could  stay  out  of  doors  and  face  the  most  extreme 
cold  with  impunity. 

"In  the  olden  days  a  blanket  made  out  of 
rabbit-skins  was  traded  at  our  shops  for  one  of 
equal  size  of  imported  wool.  The  young  genera- 
tion, however,  are  above  either  making  or  using 
the  home-made  blanket,  the  construction  of  which 
is  fast  becoming  one  of  the  lost  arts. 

"A  blanket  the  size  of  a  H.  B.  blanket,  3i/2 
point,  i.  e.,  five  feet  six  inches  long  by  five  feet 


INDIAN    Fi-K    ROUES 

broad,  required  the  skins  of  sixty  rabbits,  and  a 
blanket  of  the  4  point  size,  i.  e.,  (>J/'  feet  long  by 
{)  feet  broad,  requires  75  skins. 

"Winter  skins  only  are  used,  and  as  skinned 
from  day  to  day.  They  are  kept  out  in  tlte  frost 
until  such  time  as  the  good  wife  of  the  tepee  de- 
cides to  cut  them  up  into  strips. 

"The  skins'  are  first  opened  up  the  belly  and 
<ire  flattened  out  like  coon  skins.  When  the  re- 
quired number  are  at  this  stage,  the  woman  or 
young  girl  begins  cutting.  She  varies  the  breadth 
of  the  strips  according  to  the  part  of  the  skins 
-she  is  at  that  time  cutting.  The  belly  or  thin 
portion  in  breadths  of  an  inch  and  the  back  or 
thick  part  of  the  hide  one-half  inch  \vide.  Each 
skin  properly  cut  should  give  a  length  of  from 
fifteen  to  eighteen  feet  long. 

"As  each  skin  is*  cut  the  strip  is  either  baled 
or  folded  in  a  short  coil,  squeezed  close  together 
and  placed  in  a  cool,  damp  place,  and  so  on  till 
the  required  number  of  skins  are  finished. 

"A  frame  is  made  of  four  dry  peeled  poles 
crossed  at  the  four  corners  and  tied  securely. 
The  size  of  the  square  is  from  four  to  six  inches 
larger  at  top  and  sides  than  the  proposed  blanket 
is  to  be.  It  is  then  propped  up  against  the  shack 
or  a  tree  at  an  angle  and  a  backing  of  number 
nine  twine  is  secured  around  the  inside  of  the 
frame  about  four  inches  from  the  poles.  The 


78  HOME  MAM  TACT UIK  OF  FUKS 

backing  or  cord  is  kept  in  place  by  being  laced 
to  the  poles  with  smaller  twine  and  then  it  is 
ready  to  take  on  the  skins 

"The  looping  of  the  strips  is  worked  from 
side  to  siile.  A  slight  twist  is  given  to  the  strips 
as  the  work  goes  on.  The  smaller  the  loop  or 
mesh  the  heavier  the  blanket,  and  consequently 
a  greater  number  of  skins  are  required. 

"When  these  blankets  were  in  gen.Tal  use  the 
Indians  had  light  weight  ones  for  spring  and 
heavy  ones  for  the  winter. 

"Some  of  the  women  used  long,  narrow, 
wood  needles  such  as  net  needles  to  carry  the 
strands  when  weaving,  but  the  majority  simply 
worked  up  the  strips  by  hand,  giving  as  I  have 
said  a  slight  twist  to  the  strand  as  each  loop  or 
mesh  is  made.  This  gives  it  a  ropy  appearance, 
which  makes  the  hair  stand  out  all  around.  Each 
time  the  edge  is  arrived  at,  the  strip  is  passed 
over  twice.  This  gives  it  strength,  and  makes 
with  the  twine  a  strong  border  to  the  rug. 

After  the  blanket  is  completed,  allow  it  to 
remain  in  the  frame  for  a  day  or  two  to  dry,  then 
unlace  the  small  twine  you  had  to  keep  it  in  place 
and  the  blanket  falls  out,  ready  for  use. 

Notwithstanding  you  can  shove  your  thumb 
or  two  or  three  fingers  through  the  loops  or  mesh- 
es, it  alone  is  warmer  than  several  woolen  blan- 
kets. The  three  objections  to  a  rabbit-skin 


INDIAN   FUtt  KOBES  79 

Blanket  are :  it  is  bulky,  heavy,  and  the  hairs  come 
out  continually,  but  when  one  is  in  the  bush  they 
generally  wear  old,  greasy  clothes,  and  don't 
worry  about  their  being  covered  with  hairs  so 
long  as  they  sleep  warm. 

It  is  hardty  to  be  credited  the  degree  of  cold 
one  can  withstand  when  using  one  of  these 
blankets  or  sleeping  bags.  When  one  travels  with 
dog-teams,  the  weight  and  bulk  of  the  blanket  is 
not  of  so  much  consequence,  but  when  one  has  to 
back-pack  their  requirements,  a  bush  man  prefers 
to  freeze  a  little  at  nights  rather  than  to  be  over- 
loaded. 

Sleeping  bags  are  made  of  rabbit-skins  for 
the  company's  employees  who  travel  long  dis- 
tances by  dog-team  in  the  far  North.  From  the 
feet  up  to  the  chest  it  is  sewed  all  the  way.  The 
man  slips  his  legs  into  this,  resumes  a  recumbent 
position  and  laces  it  up  to  his  chin.  Attached  to 
the  back  is  a  hood.  This  he  adjusts  on  his  head 
before  lacing  up,  and  there  he  is  with  only  a 
small  portion  of  the  face  exposed. 

My  first  enlightenment  as  to  the  warmth  of 
a  rabbit-skin  bag  was  on  Lake  Nepigon.  I  was 
traveling  in  February  with  two  half  breeds  from 
the  shore  of  Lake  Superior.  One  of  the  days  we 
were  on  Lake  Nepigon  it  was  bitterly  cold.  Night 
was  coming  on  apace  and  we  had  to  reluctantly 
camp  at  the  lea  of  Gros  Lap,  a  wind  swept  point 


80  HOME  MANUFACTURE  OF  FURS 

in  the  body  of  the  Lake.  Amongst  the  debris  of 
rocks  which  had  fallen  down  from  the  side  we 
managed  to  find  a  space  sufficiently  large  to  make 
our  fire  and  spread  a  few  branches  for  our  bed. 

Charles  de  Laroud,  one  of  my  men,  said  he 
was  not  going  to  sleep  in  a  hole  like  that  but 
would  take  his  bag  after  supper  and  sleep  on  the 
ice.  I  looked  at  him  in  amazement  and  said  he 
would  certainly  freeze.  It  was  clear  moonlight 
and  I  saw  him  walk  out  fifty  yards  from  the 
shore,  get  into  his  bag,  drop  onto  the  ice,  whistle 
his  dogs  about  him,  and  that  was  the  last  of 
Charlie  until  next  morning  when  he  arose, 
walked  to  shore,  came  into  the  fire  circle  and 
smiled  quite  serenely. 

Though  I  had  a  pair  of  heavy  H.  B.  blankets 
and  a  fire  was  kept  up  all  night,  sleep  for  me  was 
only  by  short  intervals  at  a  time.  At  daylight  I 
took  reading  of  my  thermometer  and  found  it 
registered  38  below  zero,  which  Avas  a  pretty  se- 
vere test  to  the  rabbit-skin  bag.  Although 
Charles  had  passed  ten  hours  out  on  the  ice  he 
assured  me  he  never  felt  cold.  On  reaching  Nepi- 
gon  post  I  secured  a  rabbit-skin  bag  for  myself 
and  on  the  balance  of  the  trip  north  found  its 
value. 

Some  of  the  post  people  use  rabbit-skin 
blankets  in  the  houses  as  quilts  or  bed  spreads, 


INDIAN   FUR  ROBES  81 

^ut  they  cover  them  with  some  fancy  print  to 
prevent  the  hairs  spreading  out. 

Large  sized  blankets  at  the  present  day  cost 
from  seven  to  ten  dollars  each,  and  by  writing  to 
the  Hudson  Bay's  Agent  at  either  Fort  Williams, 
Lake  Superior;  Montizambets,  Lake  Superior; 
or  Nepigon  House,  Lake  Superior,  one  might  be 
secured,  but  time  would  have  to  be  given  for  its 
manufacture,  as  they  are  not  kept  for  sale." 

Having  handled  these  blankets  (though 
never  used  them)  I  should  say  there  is  little 
doubt  as  to  their  warmth  and  lightness,  but  their 
inclination  to  shed  hair  would  hardly  commend 
them  to  most  housekeepers.  Dressing  the  skins 
before  weaving  would  hardly  prevent  this,  as  the 
fur  of  the  native  rabbit  has  little  durability. 
Perhaps  if  the  skins  were  stretched  and  treated 
with  some  preservative  they  might  be  basted  to- 
gether and  enclosed  between  covers  of  light  cloth 
as  a  layer  of  cotton  or  wool  is,  in  making  bed 
comforts.  Tying  this  at  frequent  intervals  would 
keep  the  fur  filling  in  place.  Where  rabbits 
abound  this  plan  would  be  worth  trying  and  the 
expense  would  be  small,  rabbit  skins  being  worth 
hardly  more  than  a  cent  apiece. 

The  H.  B.  Indians  use  the  skins  of  the  North- 
ern Varying  or  White  Hare,  but  presume  those 
of  the  Cottontail  or  Jack  Rabbit  could  be  worked 
in  a  similar  manner. 


82  HOME  MANUFACTURE  OF  FURS 

The  natives  of  Central  America  and  those  of 
Hawaii  at  one  time  made  most  beautiful  feather 
robes,  but  it  is  doubtful  if  any  -jf  them  are  pro- 
duced at  the  present  time.  Those  made  in 
Hawaii  were  so  rare  that  only  royalty  ever  pos- 
sessed them. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

TOOLS  AND  APPLIANCES  FOR  TANNING  AND  DRESSING. 

THE  older  methods  of  dressing  furs,  before 
the  introduction  of  machinery,  followed 
about  the  same  program  as  at  the  present 
time,  but  was  carried  on  by  foot  and  hand  power 
exclusively.  Now,  however,  most  fur  dressing 
shops  supplied  with  power  contain : 

Washing  Tanks,  of  wire  revolving  in  a  tank 
of  water. 

Dryers,  or  Whizzers,  wire  baskets  revolving 
very  rapidly  to  throw  the  moisture  out  of  the 
skins. 

Cleaning  Drums,  to  extract  the  grease  with 
dry  and  heated  sawdust. 

Beating  Drums,  to  remove  the  dust  from  the 
fur. 

Beaming  Mills,  for  thinning  skins. 

Tramping  or  Pounding  Machines,  for  soften- 
ing skins. 

Drying  Chambers,  where  the  air  is  kept  in 
motion  with  fans,  besides  many  other  tools  for 
hand  work. 

I  shall  endeavor  to  give  details  of  the  most 
important  of  these  as  they  chiefly  concern  the 
dresser  on  a  small  scale. 

83 


HOME  MANUFACTURE  OF  FURS 


THE  BEAM.  One  or  more  of  these  is  neces- 
siry  and  can  be  made  of  a  hardwood  slab  about 
30  inches  long,  hinged  to  an  upright  so  as  to  be 
sulju  stable  or  fixed  at  an  angle  of  about  45  de- 
grees. 

A  good  Beam  is  frequently  made  of  a  slab  or 

log  about  seven 
feet  long,  fitted 
with  two  legs 
two  feet  from 
one  end  and 
with  the  other 
resting  on  the 
A  LOG  FUR  BEAM  floor.  Another 

form    is   merely 

spiked  on  top  of  two  upright  posts  of  the  proper 
heigh th.  It  is  well  to  have  two  beams,  one  much 
smaller  than  the  other  to  suit  large  and  small 
skins. 

TUBS.  For  soaking,  washing  and  pickling 
skins  several  half  barrels,  lard  or  butter  tubs  will 
answer  the  purpose  of  vats.  They  should  be  of 
wood,  for  all  operations  except  washing  or  soak- 
ing with  gasoline  or  benzine. 

KNIVES.  Fleshing,  also  called  beaming  or 
breaking  knives.  There  are  a  number  of  styles 
in  this  tool,  such  as  the  small  single  edge,  large 
double  edge  and  the  combination  smooth  im* 


TOOLS  AND  APPLIANCES 


8$ 


FUR  BEAM,  NOT  ADJUSTABLE.   GOOD  FOR  TWO  MEN 
OR  LARGE  HIDES 


FLESHING  KNIFE— SMALL  SINGLE  EDGE 


FLESHING  KNIFE— DOUBLE  EDGE 


FLESHING  KNIFE— SMOOTH  AND  TOOTHED 


HOME  MANUFACTURE  OF  FURS 


toothed  edge.  A  small  draw  shave  makes  a  fair- 
ly good  knife  for  beaming  small  skins.  A  large 
rasp  drawn  out  to  a  tang  for  a  handle  at  both 
ends  and  also  worked  to  a  double  edge  by  a  smith 
and  with  teeth  filed  in  one  edge  makes1  a  small 
toothed  flesher  or  breaker. 

These  makeshifts  will  answer  for  experi- 
ments or  an  occasional  skin  but  the  regular  skin 
dresser's  tools  are  to  be  preferred. 

THE  CURRIER'S  OR  SKIVING  KNIFE  is  a  neces- 
sity when  any  but  the  lightest  skins  are  to  be 
dressed,  as  with  it  the  thicker  parts  are  pared 
down,  reducing  skins  to  a  uniform  thickness. 

This  knife  has 
a  detachable 
blade  on  each 
side,  the  edges 
o  f  w  h  i  c  h  are 
ground  as  one 
would  a  chisel 
and  afterward 

turned  over  at  a  right  angle  by  the  use  of  a  turn- 
ing steel  made  for  that  purpose.  This  knife 
works  after  the  manner  of  a  plane,  cutting  off  a 
shaving  at  each  stroke,  thick  or  thin  according  to 
the  depth  of  the  turned  edge.  Considerable  prac- 
tice will  be  necessary  to  use  this  tool  without  in- 
flicting ugly  cuts  on  an  inoffensive  skin,  and  it 
is  necesary  to  sharpen  the  blade  frequently  from 


CURRIER    OR    SKIVING     KNIFE 


TOOLS  AND   APPLIANCES 


87 


time  to  time  with  the  small  finger  steel,  as  tht? 
crystals  of  salt  in  a  skin  soon  take  the  keen  edge 
off. 

When  not  in  use,  all  steel  tools  should  be 
kept  heavily  oiled  to  prevent  rusting.  A  small 
skin  may  be  scraped  with  a  hand  scraper  and 
shaved  down  with  a  shoe  knife  or  small  draw 
shave  on  a  half  round  piece  of  wood,  bolted  or 
screwed  to  the  work  table  top.  These  small  tools 
are  also  necessary  to  work  around  the  heads, 
feet  and  tails  of  large  skins. 

A  fair  hand  scrap- 
er may  be  made  by 
heating  the  blade  of  a 
screw  driver,  hammer- 
ing it  out  broad  and 
bending  it  at  right 
angles  like  a  h  o  e 
blade.  Use  a  file  to 
make  small  teeth  on 
the  blade.  A  plumb- 
er's shave-hook  may 

have  similar  teeth  filed  along  one  side  and  be 

used  for  the  same  purpose. 

A  substitute  for  the  skiving  knife  is  not 
easily  made,  though  for  small  skins  a  wood  scrap- 
er blade  ground  and  the  edge  turned  may  be  suf- 
ficient. 


HAND  SCRAPERS 

Made   of   Shave   Hook   and    Screw 

driver. 


88 


HOME  MANUFACTURE  OF  FURS 


For  breaking  up  and  softening  the  partly 
flry  skins  a  dull  fleshing  knife  is  sometimes  used 

also  the  crutch 
or  moon  knife 
and  the  staking 
knife.  The  moon 
kn^fe,  consist- 
ing of  a  circu- 
lar steel  blade 
clamped  to  a 
crutch  shaped 
wooden  handle 
is  also  used  in 
fleshing  skins. 
In  u  s  i  n  g  this 
tool  the  skins 
are  clamped  in 

a  stretching  frame  and  the  crutch  placed  under 
armpit  of  the  operator  who  can  in  this  way  use 

the  weight  of  his 
body  in  the  pro- 
cess. The  blade 
of  an  ordinary 
kitchen  chopping 
knife  may  be 
hafted  and  used 
in  a  similar  way. 
THE  STRETCH- 
ING FRAME  con- 


tl)   TANNERS  "MOON' 
KNIFE. 


OR   CRUTCH 


(2)    HOME    MADE    SUBSTITUTE    AL- 
SO    CALLED 


'SHOULDER     STAKE" 


TANNERS'   STRETCHING   FRAME 


TOOLS   AND   Al'l'LIANC'KS 


89 


sists  of  two  uprights  connected  by  a  crosspiece, 
with  a  second  crosspiece  hinged  at  one  end,  ar- 
ranged to  clamp  tightly  on  the  first.  It  may  be 
either  a  fixture  or  portable,  but  should  be  made 
of  stiff  scantlings  2  x  4  in  size  at  least.  The 
porable  frame  is  leaned  against  the  wall  when 
in  use. 

A  STAKE  KNIFE  for  stretching  skins,  lias  for 
a  foundation  a  piece  of 
two  inch  plank  about 
12  by  24  inches  with  a 
three  foot  upright  mor- 
tised and  braced  in  the 
center  and  fitted  at  the 
top  with  a  piece  of 
steel  (saw  blade) about 
five  or  six  inches 
square,  the  corners 
slightly  rounded. 

Unlike  the  leather  maker  the  tanner  and 
dresser  of  furs  uses  no  splitting  machines  on  ac- 
count of  the  fur  roots,  but  must  reduce  their 
thickness  by  other  means.  Emery  or  sandpaper 
are  used  on  power  driven  wheels  and  by  hand. 
Sandpaper  can  be  glued  to  the  surface  of  a  curved 
block  of  wood  and  the  same  fastened  in  a  vise 
where  the  skin  is  drawn  back  and  forth  over  it. 
The  block  should  be  of  two  inch  wood,  six  to  ten 


STAKE  KNIFE  FOR 
"BREAKING"  SKINS 


90 


HOME  MANUFACTURE  OF  FURS 


inches  square  with  a  crosspieee  screwed  to  the 
back  to  provide  a  hold  for  the  vise  or  tiie  hand. 
DRUM.  When  a  number  of  skins  are  to  be 
cleaned  some  kind  of  a  drum  is  necessary.  Those 
used  in  the  large  shops  are  about  four  feet  wide 
and  about  six  or  eight  feet  in  diameter.  The 
cleaning  drums  have  either  several  shelves  six 
inches  v.  ide  or  the  same  number  of  rows  of  wood- 
en pegs,  on  (he  interior  HrrumfereiH-e.  A  uum- 


SANDPAPER    BLOCK 

ber  of  skins  with  a  quantity  of  very  fine  dry  hard- 
wood sawdust  is  placed  in  the  drum  and  after 
revolving  steadily  for  three  or  four  hours  at 
about  twenty  revolutions  per  minute  the  fur  will 
be  clean  and  soft  but  full  of  sawdust. 

The  beating  drums  of  similar  size  with  wood- 
en ends  and  sides  of  i/rinch  mesh  wire  cloth  are 
supplied  with  wire  mesh  shelves  which  catch  the 
skins  and  carry  them  nearly  to  the  top  whence 
they  drop  against  the  wire  cloth  covering  the 
drum's  circumference  thus  cleansing  the  fur  of 


TOOLS  AND   AITLIAXCES  91 

sawdust.  Both  cleaning1  and  boating  drums  are 
often  enclosed  in  wooden  closets,  the  former  heat- 
ed by  steam  pipes  or  charcoal  that  the  grease  and 
oil  may  be  extracted  and  the  latter  to  prevent  the 
sawdust  flying  about. 


CLEANING   DRUMS  AS  USED  IN   LARGE   ESTABLISHMENTS 

For  hand  work  a  barrel  or  box  placed  on  an 
axle  with  crank  attached  has  been  found  to  work 
well  in  cleaning.  An  opening  fitted  with  a  cover 
is  made  in  one  side  through  which  the  skin  with 
a  quantity  of  sawdust  is  thrown  in,  the  cover 
clamped  on,  and  the  barrel  revolved,  so  as  to  keep 


92 


HOME  MANUFACTURE  OF  FURS 


the  contents  moving.  A  box  hung  by  the  corners 
like  a  type  of  churn  once  popular  would  insure 
a  thorough  agitation  of  the  skins  and  sawdust. 

For  a  hand  beating  drum  I  would  recommend 
one  made  with  octagonal  heads  and  covered  with 
wire  cloth.  Large  skins  are  best  beaten  with  rat- 
tans and  an  ordinary  woven  wire  bed  spring  will 
hold  then'  nicely  during  the  process,  letting  the 


FUR    DRUM    MADE    OF    BOX 

dust  fall   through.     The  furniture  beaters  sup- 
plied by  the  stores  are  suitable  for  small  skins. 

THE  TRAMPING  MACHINE  consists  of  two 
wooden  hammers,  which  are  moved  alternately, 
up  and  down  and  back  and  forth,  in  a  suitable  re- 
ceptacle, stirring  the  skins  constantly  and  devel- 
oping by  friction  the  necessary  heat  to  render 
them  soft  and  pliable.  Before  beginning  this 


TOOLS  AND  APPLIANCES  93 

operation  any  skins  not  naturally  fat  or  oily  are 
greased  with  some  animal  fat. 

The  original  method,  which  is  still  practiced 
for  the  choicest  pelts  is  termed  Tubbing.  In  this 
a  tub  or  half  hogshead  placed  on  the  floor,  slight- 
ly inclined,  has  a  number  of  oiled  skins  with 
usually  a  small  amount  of  sawdust  put  in  it.  The 
workman  with  barefeet  takes  his  place  in  the  tub 
and  ties  around  his  waist  a  piece  of  heavy  cloth 
or  bagging  already  fastened  about  the  top  of  the 
tub.  This  serves  to  retain  the  heat  and  prevent 
the  dust  from  flying  about  during  the  two  or 
three  hours  treading  and  twisting  necessary  to 
thoroughly  soften  or  leather  the  skins. 

A  clothes  pounder  or  washerwoman's  "dolly" 
may  be  made  to  take  the  place  of  the  feet  in  the 
softening  or  Tubbing  process.  Twisting,  wring- 
ing and  rubbing  with  the  hands  as  in  washing 
clothes  will  serve  the  same  purpose,  but  it  is  a 
tiresome  process  and  one  for  which  the  hand 
seems  hardly  suited. 

COMBS  of  at  least  two  sizes  will  be  needed  by 
the  dresser  to  put  the  fur  in  order  and  straighten 
any  tangles.  They  are  made  of  steel,  brass  and 
gerrnan  silver.  The  steel  is  the  cheapest  and  must 
be  kept  well  oiled  to  prevent  rusting  which  the 
other  metals  are  not  so  liable  to.  A  coarse  and 
fine  combination  comb  is  made  which  is  very 


94  HOME  MANUFACTURE  OF  FUIIS 

handv.     Kobe  combs*,  resembling  an  infant  gar- 
den rake,  are  suitable  for  the  largest  skins. 

Much  experimental  work  can  be  done  with 
very  few  tools  and  very  creditable  work  too,  but 
improyed  appliances  and  especially  those  run  by 
power  do  certainly  lessen  the  drudgery  of  skin 
dr'essiug  and  enable  a  few  hands  to  turn  out  a 
cast  volume  of  well  finished  furs  in  a  short  time. 


FURRIERS'    STEEL   COMBS 

Tramping  and  Beating  and  Cleaning  Ma- 
chines handle  large  quantities  of  skins  at  once 
and  even  then  do  not  require  the  operators  entire 
attention,  and  though  skins  so  treated  may  need 
some  hand  labor  in  addition  to  complete  the  pro- 
cesses, the  machines  take  care  of  the  great  bulk  of 
it. 

Your  good  right  arm  and  a  rattan  will  beat 
a  skin  as  well  as  the  electric  beater,  if  you  don't 
get  tired  too  soon.  A  delicate  skin  can  be  soften- 
ed and  leathered  better  by  the  human  hands  and 


TOOLS  AN'D  APPLIANCES  95 

feet  than  by  any  machines  devised  to  date.  Good 
hand  tools  are  not  very  expensive  and  will  great- 
ly expedite  the  dressing  of  ordinary  skins. 

The  Eskimo  women  soften  skins  frequently 
by  chewing  them,  an  appetizing  process  which  we 
will  hardly  care  to  emulate,  however  effications  it 
may  be. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

TANNING  MATERIALS  AND  TERMS. 

AS  has  been  already  explained  the  dressing 
of  fur  skins  is  quite  different  from  the 
process  of  tanning  leather  or  proper  tan- 
ning. So  too,  the  materials  used  are  very  differ- 
ent in  most  oases. 

In  leather  tanning,  extracts  or  infusions  are 
often  made  use  of  from  various  barks  and  leaves, 
but  the  action  of  such  is  quite  slo\v,  being  a  mat- 
ter of  weeks  or  even  months  before  the  skins  im- 
mersed in  such  tan  liquors  are  completely  tanned. 

Another  objection  to  the  use  of  barks,  etc.,  is 
the  fact  that  such  material  often  contains  also 
considerable  coloring  matter,  usually  brown, 
which  would  affect  the  fur  put  in  it.  In  some  in- 
stances this  is  not  undesirable,  such  as  dressing 
sheep  skins  for  linings,  etc.  By  concentrating 
the  vegetable  extracts  the  process  of  tanning  will 
be  reduced  especially  for  light  skins. 

Some  of  the  barks  containing  the  most  tan- 
nin are:  White  Ash;  White,  Red,  Chestnut  and 
in  fact  all  varieties  of  the  Oaks ;  Sumac ;  Hem- 
lock, and  Chestnut.  Acorns  and  the  leaves  of 

96 


TANNING  MATERIALS  AND  TERMS  97 

the.se  trees  also  contain  much  tannin.  Mayweed, 
Sweetfern,  Smart- weed  and  Alfalfa  may  be  used 
for  the  same  purpose. 

To  prepare  for  use  the  barks,  leaves  or  plants 
are  broken,  cut  or  ground  into  small  pieces  and 
then  left  to  steep  or  leach  in  water  to  extract  the 
strength.  Terra  Japouica  also  known  as  Catechu 
is  much  used  in  tanning  but  it  also  contains  much 
brown  dye.  Halt  is  universally  used  in  preparing 
skins  either  by  itself  or  in  combination  with 
olhcr  things.  The  coarse  form  is  commonly  used 
on  account  of  the  lower  price,  fine  salt  can  be 
used  for  all  similar  purposes  and  is  to  be  pre- 
ferred for  rubbing  on  skins  in  the  powdered  form 
or  for  making  pastes  for  application  to  the  flesh 
sides  of  skins.  Halt  opens  the  pores  of  the  hide, 
and  lets  in  the  tan  and  prevents  decomposition 
of  the  skin. 

Alum  is  probably  one  of  the  first  mineral 
agents  to  be  used  in  fur  dressing.  It  is  an  as- 
tringent, sets  the  hair  and  epidermis,  and  with 
other  ingredients  helps  to  render  the  skin  im- 
pervious to  water.  Alum,  however,  hardens  and 
shrinks  a  skin,  both  of  which  qualities  are  the 
opposite  of  what  is  desired.  Its  great  disadvan- 
tage lies  in  its  plumping  or  thickening  proper- 
ties. An  alum  cured  skin  shaved  and  thinned 
down  from  the  inside  and  then  replaced  in  a  salt 
and  alum  bath,  for  a  day  or  two,  will  be  found 


98  HOME  MANUFACTURE  OF  FUUS 

)n  removal  to  have  plumped  up  to  nearly  its  orig- 
inal thickness. 

If  two  freshly  salted  skins  of  the  same  kind 
of  animal  are  placed  at  the  same  time,  one  in  a 
salt  and  alum  solution  and  the  other  in  an  acid 
tan  and  left  there  a  week  or  so  the  difference  will 
be  readily  apparent.  The  alum  cured  s*kin  will 
be  stiff  and  harsh,  the  other  not  increased  in 
thickness  and  more  pliable  than  when  put  in  and 
will  require  but  a  comparatively  short  time  to 
beam  and  thin  down.  It  is  almost  impossible  to 
dress  out  the  fur  of  some  animals,  to  look  Huffy 
and  natural  after  immersion  in  an  alum  solution 
and  it  is  apt  to  leave  any  hair  stiff,  dry  and  with- 
out gloss. 

In  the  case  of  half  spoiled  specimens,  alum 
will  save  the  day  if  anything  will.  Some  times 
an  animal  will  be  received  in  the  flesh  on  which 
the  hair  is  starting  to  slip.  If  it  pulls  out  easily 
on  any  part  of  the  body  and  limbs  it  is  too  late, 
but  if  only  the  lower  part  of  the  abdomen  seems 
disposed  to  slough,  quick  work  and  plenty  of 
alum  may  save  it  in  very  fair  condition. 

Except  in  the  case  of  rare  or  valuable  speci- 
mens this  is  not  to  be  advised  as  the  handling  of 
such  skins  in  the  first  stages  of  decay  is  always 
more  or  less  dangerous.  Such  skins  should  be 
snatched  off  without  delay  and  immersed  in  a 
strong,  warm  solution  of  salt  and  alum.  The 


99 


100  HOME  MANUFACTURE  OF  FURS 

alum  in  this  acts  as  a  powerful  astringent  draw- 
ing together  the  fibers  around  the  root  of  each 
hair  and  binding  together  the  cutis  and  epider- 
mis. 

Acids  are  used  in  skin  dressing  to  destroy 
the  gluten  and  also  aid  in  cleaning  both  fur  and 
hide.  Sulphuric  and  Oxalic  are  the  acids  in 
principal  use.  Sulpnnric  is  the  more  violent  in 
action  and  great  care  should  l>e  used  in  handling 
it  in  a  clear  state.  It  should  nc<;</r  be  allowed  to 
come  in  contact  with  the  hands,  clothing  or  hides 
before  being  diluted  with  water,  milk  or  other 
liquids. 

Dilute  Acetic  Acid  in  the  form  of  Vinegar 
and  weak  Lactic  Acid  as  sour  milk  or  buttermilk 
are  made  use  <;f.  Borax  and  Saltpetre  are  used 
to  hasten  tanning  by  softening  and  penetrating 
the  skins  in  a  similar  manner  to  salt  and  Glau- 
bers Salt. 

Lime,  lied  Arsenic  and  Wood  Ashes  or  Pot- 
ash are  u-:ed  to  remove  hair  or  fur  from  skins  to 
be  used  as  leather.  Flour  and  Bran  are  ingre- 
dients in  tanner's  pastes  and  liquors.  Various 
combinations  of  oils  and  soaps  serve  to  soften 
tawed  skins  and  in  cleaning,  Soda,  Benzine, 
Gasoline,  Sawdust,  Meal  and  Magnesia  serve 
useful  purposes. 

In  the  preparation  of  skins  terms  for  the 
various  operations  have  sprung  up,  which  may 


TANNING  MATERIALS  AND  TERMS  101 

puzzle  the  uninitiated;  to  take  them  in  about 

their  sequence  some  of  them  are  as  follows : 

SOAKING,  relaxing  a  cured  skin,  rendering  it  flexi- 
ble enough  to  be  held  on  the  fleshing  beam. 

FLESHING,  removing  the  muscular  inner  coat  with 
the  bits  of  flesh,  fat,  etc.,  to  open  up  the  true 
skin  to  chemical  action. 

(TRAINING,  removing  the  hair  and  epidermis  from 
skins  to  be  made  into  leather. 

PICKLING,  soaking  in  the  various  tanning  or  taw- 
ing solutions. 

SLEEKING,  working  liquid  preparations  out  of 
skins  by  pressure  and  scraping  with  tools. 

SKIVING  or  CURRYING,  paring  or  reducing  the 
thickness  of  skins. 

STRETCHING  or  BREAKING,  separating  the  fibre  of 
a  partly  dried  tawed  skin. 

STAKING,  using  the  stake  knife  for  breaking  or 
fleshing. 

WHIZZING,  extracting  the  moisture  by  centrifu- 
gal action. 

TUBBING,  softening  or  leathering  tawed  skins  by 
working  in  a  tub  with  the  feet  or  mechanic- 
ally. 

PLUCKING,  removing  the  over  or  guard  hairs  of 
the  pelt,  usually  done  immediately  after- 
fleshing. 


102  HOME  MANUFACTURE  OF  FURS 

DRUMMING,  revolving  the  skins  inside  of  drums 
for  the  purpose  (a)  removing1  grease  and 
cleaning  the  fur,  with  hot  dry  sawdust  or 
similar  material,  and  (b)  beating  or  agitat- 
ing the  furs  to  remove  such  sawdust  remain- 
ing in  them. 

LIMING,  soaking  in  solution  of  lime  in  water. 
BATING,  removing  the  salts  of  lime  from  a  skin 

by  acid  fermentation. 
SAMMIXG,  partly  drying  skins. 
SCOURING,  washing. 

STRIKING  OUT,  sleeking  or  working  watery  solu- 
tion out  of  a  skin. 
HANDLING,  stirring  about,  working. 

Often  if  the  common  name  of  some  material 
is  known  to  us  it  can  be  easily  procured  and  at  a 
slight  cost.  For  instance,  take  the  formula  used 
for  the  salt  and  alum  pickle  No.  10.  Oxide  of 
Hydrogen  1  Cong.,  heat  to  212  degress  and  add 
Sulphate  Aluminum  and  Potassium  10r>,  Chlor- 
ide of  Sodium  4*.  This  is  much  more  intelligible 
if  we  say:  To  a  gallon  of  boiling  water  add  a 
pound  of  alum  and  a  quarter  pound  of  salt.  Be- 
low is  a  list  of 

COMMON  NAMES  OF  SOME  CHEMICAL  SUBSTANCES. 
Aqua  Fortis — Nitric  Acid. 
Aqua  Regia — Nitro-Aluriatic  Acid. 
Blue  Vitrol — Sulphate  of  Copper. 


TANNING  MATERIALS  AND  TERMS  103 

Cream  of  Tartar — Bitartrate  of  Potassium. 

Calomel — Chloride  of  Mercury. 

Chalk — Carbonate  of  Calcium. 

Salt  of  Tartar — Carbonate  of  Potassa. 

Caustic  Potassa — Hydrate  of  Potassium. 

Chloroform — Chloride  of  Gormyle. 

Common  Salt — Chloride  of  Sodium. 

Copperas  or  Green  Yitrol  — Sulphate  of  Iron. 

Corrosive  Sublimate  —  Bichloride  of  Mer- 
cury. 

1  )iamond — Pure  Carbon. 

Dry  Alum — Sulphate  of  Aluminum  and  Po- 
tassium. 

Epsom  Salts — Sulphate1  of  Magnesia. 

Ethiops  Mineral — Black  Sulphide  of  Mer- 
cury. 

Fire  Damp — Light  Carbureted  Hydrogen. 

Galena — Sulphide  of  Lead. 

Glauber  Salt — Sulphate  of  Soda. 

Glucose — Grape  Sugar. 

Goulard  Water — Basic  Acetate  of  T.ead. 

Iron  Pyrites — Bisulphide  of  IroB 

Jewelers'  Putty— Oxide  of  Tin. 

King  Yellow — Sulphide  of  Arsenic. 

Laughing  Gas — Protoxide  of  Nitrogen. 

Lime — Oxide  of  Calcium. 

Lunar  Caustic — Nitrate  of  Silver. 

Mosia  Gold — Bisulphide  of  Tin. 

Muriate  of  Lime — Chloride  of  Calcium. 


304  HOME  MANUFACTURE  OF  FURS 

Niter  of  Saltpetre — Nitrate  of  Potash. 

Oil  of  Vitrol — Sulphuric  Acid. 

Potash — Oxide  of  Potassium. 

Red  Lead — Oxide  of  Lead. 

Rust  of  Iron — Oxide  of  Irou. 

Sal  Ammoniac — Muriate  of  Ammoiiia. 

Slacked  Lime — Hydrate  of  Calcium. 

Soda — Oxide  of  Sodium. 

Spirits  of  Hartshorn — Ammonia 

Spirit  of  Salt  —  Hydrochloric  of  .Muriatic 

Acid. 

Stucco,  or  Plaster  Paris — Sulphate  of  Lime. 
Sugar  of  Lead — Acetate  of  Lead. 
Verdegris — Basic  Acetate  of  Copper. 
Vermilion — Sulphide  of  Mercury. 
Vinegar — Acetic  Acid  (diluted). 
Volatile  Alkali — Ammonia. 
Water — Oxide  of  Hydrogen. 
White  Precipitate — Ammoniated  Mercury. 
White  Vitrol— Sulphate  of  Zinc. 


CHAPTER  X. 

TANNING   FORMULAS   AND   RECIPES. 

NO.    1. 
ALUM    TAWING    SOLUTIONS. 

Salt i/4  ib. 

Alum,  cr3'stals  or  powdered . .  1   Ib. 

Water 1  gal. 

Heat  to  dissolve  the  salt  and  alum  and  when 
luke  warm  or  cold  immerse  the  skins. 

No.  2. 

Water 1  gal. 

Salt   (about  1'%  Ib. )   1  qt. 

Alum (about  1      Ib.)   1  pt. 

Heat  to  boiling  and  cool. 

No.  3. 

Water,  warm 1  gal.  and  add 

Bran  1  qt. 

Allow  to  stand  in  a  warm  room  24  hours  or 
until  it  ferments,  then  heat  and  add 

Salt lib.  or  1  pt. 

Alum 1  Ib. 

Let  cool  before  putting  the  fleshed  skins  in. 

105 


106  HOME  MANUFACTURE  OF  FURS 


HARK   SOLUTION. 

To  prepare  this,  fill  a  pot  or  kettle  half  full 
of  bark  ground  or  broken  into  small  chi])s  and 
then  till  with  water  and  steep  until  the  strength 
is  extracted,  to  sinnner  it  for  about  liiree  hours 
is  best,  add  about  two  ounces  to  the  gallon  if 
the  skins  have  been  salted  or  four  if  not.  The 
stronger  the  solution  the  quicker  the  action,  but 
it  will  be  well  to  allow  three  weeks  at  least  to 
tan. 

No.  5. 

DRY   TANNING   TO   BE    APPLIED   TO   THE    FLESH    SIDE 
ONLY   OF   SKINS. 

Alum 2VL.  Ib. 

Salt  1  Ib. 

Oatmeal 1  Ib.   (or  flour) 

All  finely  powdered  and  dissolved  in  enough 
sour  milk  or  buttermilk  to  the  consistency  of 
cream.  Coat  the  flesh  side. 

No.  6. 

Alum 1  Ib. 

Saltpetre   1  Ib. 

Salt 2  Ibs. 

Mix  thoroughly  and  sprinkle  on  the  flesh 
side  evenly. 


TANNING  FORMULAS  AND  RECIPES  107 

No.  7. 

Water 1  gal. 

Alum 2VL>  lb. 

Salt I  lb. 

Heat  the  water  to  dissolve,  and  when  coo* 
brush  011  the  flesh  side  of  the  dampened  skin. 

Any  of  the  solutions  used  to  immerse  skins 
in  may  be  brushed  on  the  flesh  side  in  this  way. 
Lay  the  skins  flesh  sides  together  in  pairs  or  if 
a  single  skin,  double  it  up  flesh  in  and  leave  in  a 
<-ool  place.  Repeat  this  dressing  of  paste  or 
liquid  once  or  twice  a  day  for  two  or  three  days, 
the  point  being  to  keep  it  damp  with  the  chemi- 
cals until  they  penetrate. 

A  rather  strong  sulphuric  acid  solution  is 
often  used  in  this  way,  and  I  will  give  two  for- 
mulas for  this. 

No.  8. 

Water 2  qts. 

Salt 1  lb. 

Sulphuric  Acid 1  oz.  (fluid) 

No.  9. 

Water 1  qt. 

Salt 4  oz. 

Sulphuric  Acid 1  oz. 

Dissolve  salt  in  water  first  then  add  the 
acid. 


108  HOME  MANUFACTURE  OP  FURS 

The  No.  9  will,  if  the  skin  is  well  soaked,  tan 
light  or  thin  skins  in  about  twelve  hours,  or  over 
night.  The  No.  8  requires  about  twenty-eight 
hours  for  the  same  skins.  I  would  not  care  to 
recommend  these  strong  acid  solutions  if  they 
are  left  in  the  leather  without  washing  out  or 
neutralizing,  as  they  are  liable  to  shorten  the  life 
of  the  same. 

Some  directions  for  dressing  furs  caution 
never  to  wet  the  fur  side;  that  is  all  nonsense. 
They  have  all  of  them  been  wet  hundreds  of  times 
on  the  animals'  backs  without  hurt  and  almost 
without  exception  they  need  cleaning  before  they 
are  fit  for  use  as  clothing  for  civilized  people. 
Immersion  in  preservative  or  tanning  solutions 
also  tend  to  curb  the  enthusiasm  of  moths  and 
such  destructive  insects  for  using  the  finished 
product  as  a  bill  of  fare. 

Long  continued  soaking  in  some  of  these 
pickles  does  not  injure  a  skin  in  the  least,  as 
taxidermists  often  use  their  jars  of  sulphuric  or 
alum  pickle  to  store  skins  for  weeks  and  months, 
in  some  cases  years.  Personally  I  prefer  the 
following : 

No.  10. 

SULPHURIC  TAN  LIQUOR. 

Water 1  gal. 

Salt 1  qt. 

Sulphuric  Acid 1  oz.  (fluid) 


:RAW  RACCOON  SKIN  — AVERAGE  SOUTHEAST  SECTIONS 
109 


110  HOME  MANUFACTURE  OP  FURS 

Bring  water  to  boiling  to  dissolve  the  salt, 
and  cool  before  adding  acid. 

Don't  lean  over  it  while  pouring  and  stirring 
the  acid  in ;  the  filings  are  not  specially  beneficial. 
As  many  skins  may  be  put  in  as  it  will  cover 
readily,  but  the  strength  will  be  about  spent  after 
tanning  say  about  one  skin  the  size  of  a  fox  or 
raccoon  to  each  two  quarts  of  the  liquor  made 
up.  Keep  it  in  wood,  earthen  or  glass  ware, 
never  metal.  Alum  solution  No.  2  may  be  used 
in  the  same  way. 

No.  11. 

OXALIC  ACID  TAX  LIQUOR. 

Water 1  gal. 

Salt 1  pt. 

Oxalic  Acid   (pulverized)  ...  .2  oz. 
This  is  especially   adapted   to   light   skins 
which  will  tan  in  six  to  twenty-four  hours. 

No.  12. 

SULPHURIC  ACID  WITH  MILK. 

Sour  Buttermilk   1  gal. 

Water  1  gal. 

Salt iy2  Ibs. 

Saltpetre  2  oz. 

Borax  1  oz. 

Sulphuric  Acid   8  oz. 


DRESSED    GREY    FOX    SKIN— AVERAGE    SOUTHEAST 
SECTIONS 

111 


112  HOME  MANUFAOTUKE  OF  FURS 

Dissolve  the  salt,  saltpetre  and  borax  in  the 
water,  add  the  buttermilk  and  last  of  all  the  acid, 
stirring-  well.  Put  the  soaked  and  fleshed  skins 
in  this  and  stir  tl.ein  about  every  hour  or  so  for 
three  or  four  hom  s  for  light  skins.  When  tanned 
remove,  wring  ai:;i  v.ash  out. 

Washing  solutions  are  varied,  but  for  wash- 
ing out  acid  liquors  should  contain  some  alkali 
like  soda  which  neutralizes  any  acid  remaining 
in  the  skin.  Use  to  a  pail  of  water  a  handful  of 
washing  soda.  Some  take  %  Ib.  soap,  2  ounces 
soda  to  the  pail  of  lukewarm  water.  Rinse  after- 
wards in  clear  water.  It  is  a  good  plant  to  put 
the  skin  on  the  beam  and  "sleek"  it  with  a  dull 
lU'.-liing  knife  or  a  piece  of  hard  wood  or  metal, 
that  is,  si-rape  over  it,  pressing  the  liquid  out 
ahead  of  the  tool.  This  helps  clear  and  open  the 
pores. 

It  is  impossible  to  give  the  exact  treatment 
for  any  given  skin,  being  governed  by  the  dress- 
er's personal  ideas  and  the  state  of  the  individual 
skin,  both  of  which  naturally  vary  much. 

To  dress  a  skin  by  an  application  to  the  flesh 
side  only  would  call  for  a  program  something  like 
that  in  the  first  column,  while  the  second  would 
show  about  what  the  skin  immersed  in  an  acid 
liquor  would  undergo.  If  the  dry  dressed  skin 
was  very  fat  it  would  require  another  round  of 
the  sawdust  and  beating  drums. 


TANNING  FORMULAS  AND  RECIPES  111 

No.  1  No.  2 

Soak.  Soak. 

Flesh.  Flesh. 

Pickle.  Pickle. 

Dry.  Wash. 

Oil.  Rinse. 

Stretch.  Gasoline. 

Drum.  Drum. 

Stretch.  Beat. 

Drum.  Stretch. 

Beat.  Oil. 

Drum. 
Beat. 

Fat  skins  in  the  second  treatment  would  re- 
quire a  decreasing  soak  in  gasoline  after  fleshing 
and  before  pickling. 

For  making  buckskin  the  hair  is  removed 
before  tanning  and  frequently  an  unprime  or 
damaged  skin  of  a  furbearer  can  be  utilized  by 
making  into  leather.  The  most  common  soak  to 
remove  hair  or  fur  is  made  in  the  following  pro- 
portion : 

No.  13. 

Water 5  gals. 

Slacked  Lime 4  qts. 

Hardwood  Ashes 4  qts. 

The  fresh  or  relaxed  skins  are  left  in  this 
one  to  six  days,  until  the  hair  or  fur  starts  read- 
ily. A  more  rapid  acting  application  is  made  of 


114  HOME  MANUFACTURE  OF  FURS 

Xo.  14. 

Water 1  qt. 

Bed  Arsenic   1   Ib. 

Unslacked  Lime 1  Ib. 

Boil  the  water  and  arsenic,  let  it  cool  and 
add  the  lime.  Paint  this  on  the  flesh  side  of  a 
skin,  (fresh  or  soaked),  fold  it  together  and  let 
U  lie  12  or  15  hours,  when  the  hair  will  probably 
be  ready  to  scrape  off.  Unfortunately  nothing 
has  been  concocted,  to  date,  which  will  make  fur 
grow  on  a  skin  either  raw  or  dressed. 

There  are  many,  many  more  formulas  for  fur 
tanning,  most  of  which  will  produce  fair  results 
when  combined  with  two  ingredients,  common 
sense  and  elbow  grease,  and  without  thosv  any  of 
the  foregoing  will  be  useless. 

Some  people  still  retain  the  idea  that  there 
is  some  magical  powder  or  chemical  with  which 
a  skin  may  be  sprinkled  or  saturated  that  will 
render  it  at  once  and  forever  soft  and  pliable, 
something  as  the  photo  developer  brings  out  the 
image  on  the  exposed  negative.  Would  that  it 
were  so,  but  the  best  that  has  been  done  so  far 
is  to  discover  materials  that  are  quicker  acting 
and  to  transfer  part  of  the  most  severe  and  mo- 
notonous work  to  machines. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

PRELIM  I  NARY  WORK,  SOAKING,  FRESHING, 
DE-GREASING. 

SKINS  which  have  been  just  taken  off  need 
no  soaking,  as  the  object  of  it  is  to  soften 
and  relax  them  so  they  may  be  flattened  on 
the  beam  for  fleshing',  or  the  removal  of  the  inner 
muscular  ^oat.     Most  ta  ,  ing  liquors  will  relax 
a  dried  skin  but  it  will  take  much  longer  than 
\vheu  clear  water  or  a  'Special  soak  is  used. 

Using  the  tan  liquid  to  soak  unfleshed  skins 
weakens  it  considerably,  as  there  is  quite  an 
amount  of  muscle,  fat,  etc.,  to  absorb  it,  besides 
the  skin  proper.  Thin  and  weak  skins  it  is  often 
necessary  to  treat  so,  however. 

In  cool  weather  skins  may  be  soaked  in  clear 
water,  but  as  even  then  they  require  close  watch- 
ing and  should  not  be  left  long  in  a  damp  state, 
a  weak  salt  solution  is  best  to  use.  One  of  the 
best  is  for,  say,  four  skins  the  size  of  fox  or  rac- 
coon. Use : 

Water 4  gal. 

Borax 1/2  oz. 

Soap 1  oz. 

Salt   V2  pint 

Sulphuric  Acid %  fluid  oz. 

115 


116  HOME  MAXrFACTTRE  OF  FURS 

Before  adding  dissolve  the  soap  in  y%  pint 
of  water  (or  use  y%  pt.  soft  soap).  If  the  skins 
Iiave  been  salted  the  salt  may  be  omitted.  The 
acid  aids  in  setting  the  hair;  do  not  use  if  the  skin 
is  wanted  \vitliout  hair  for  leather.  Mix  thor- 
oughly ar.d  immerse  skins  two  to  six  hours. 

When  desired,  skins  may  be  softened  and  in 
fact  completely  dressed  without  wetting  the  fur, 
though  tiiis  is  hardly  practical  with  work  of  any 
amount,  and  I  think  most  skins  are  beuetitted  by 
the  thorough  cleansing  they  get  in  the  various 
wet  solutions.  To  soak  or  relax  a  flat  or  open 
skin  without  wetting  the  fur,  brush  the  flesh  side 
all  over  with  either  the  solution  given  or  one 
made  by  dissolving  a  good  handful  of  salt  in  a 
pail  of  water.  Saturate  a  quantity  of  sawdust 
with  the  soak  and  laying  the  skin  on  bench  or 
floor,  flesh  side  up,  cover  it  with  the  damp  saw- 
dust. A  cased  skin  should  be  laid  on  a  layer  of 
damp  sawdust  and  completely  covered  with  the 
same.  The  sawdust  must  contain  enough  mois- 
ture so  that  a  few  drops-  may  be  squeezed  from  a 
handful. 

On  the  inside  of  suudried  skins  will  be  found 
a  tough,  glazed  surface  which  must  be  cut  and 
scraped  away  after  a  little  soaking  so  that  the 
liquor  may  enter  and  thoroughly  relax  the  skin. 
As  good  a  plan  as  any  is  to  put  a  number  of  skins 
to  soak  and  take  them  out  and  partially  flesh 


PRELIMINARY  WORK 


117 


them  one  after  the  other,  replacing  in  the  soak 
until  entirely  softened. 

Thorough  relaxation  and  fleshing  is  essential 
to  good  dressing,  as  it  opens  the  pores  and  makes 
them  accessible  to  the  solutions  used. 


BEAMING    AND    PLUCKING    BEAVER    SKINS 
(Plucking  is  Pulling  Out  the  Long  or  Guard  Hairs) 

To  flesh,  throw  a  skin  on  the  end  of  the  beam 
and  by  pressing  against  it  with  the  chest,  hold  it 
in  place  while  by  shoving  the  fleshing  knife  from 
you  the  inner  muscular  skin  with  adhering  flesh 
and  fat  is  removed.  Some  direct  that  the  fleshing 


118  HOME  MANUFACTURE  OF  FURS 

be  from  •  lr  tail  toward  the  head,  so  as  to  run  the 
right  s>ay  of  the  hair  roots,  but  this  can  hardly 
be  necessary;  the  skin  should  be  stretched  in  all 
directions  both  side  and  lengthways.  Use  a 
toothed  flesher  to  break  the  glaze  on  large  dry 
skins,  then  soak  till  they  can  be  fleshed  <md 
stretched.  Light  skins  are  sometimes  pounded 
before  soaking  to  hasten  the  process. 

The  stretching  may  be  done  on  the  stretching 
frante,  and  if  the  skin  dries-:  during  the  process 
dampen  it  by  brushing  the  flesh  side  with  either 
water  or  soaking  or  tanning  pickle.  Skins  damp- 
ened with  the  pickles  may  be  safely  left  for  some 
time  in  that  condition,  but  if  soaked  in  clear 
water  they  should  he  either  dried  out  or  put  in 
tan  or  the  hair  may  soon  slip,  especially  in  warm 
weather. 

Fresh  skins  should  be  salted  for  a  day  or  t\va 
before  fleshing,  as  then  the  salt  will  have  hard- 
ened the  tissues  so  the  knife  will  take  hold  of 
them  better. 

The  method  of  using  a  draw-knife  and  pull- 
ing it  toward  the  operator  is  not  a  good  one,  as 
it  is  necessary  to  hold  the  skin  by  driving  .an  awl 
through  it  into  the  beam,  thus  punching  the  skin 
full  of  awl  holes  or  tearing  it.  The  head,  feet  and 
any  places  not  accessible  with  the  large  flesher 
are  attended  to  with  h  ind  scrapers  and  a  small 
knife. 


PRELIMINARY  WORK  119 

Skins  which  are  to  be  plucked  are  treated 
to  that  process  now,  after  washing  clear  in  warm 
soap  water.  Use  one-half  pound  of  soap  and  two 
ounces  of  washing  soda  in  a  bucket  of  water  at 
about  90  degrees  for  this  washing.  Wring  out 
and  shake  'to  dry  the  fur  but  keep  the  skin  damp. 
Some  tack  the  skin  to  &  board,  fur  out,  and  dry 
it  in  the  sun  or  near  a  fire.  When  the  fur  is  dry 
try  if  the  overhair  will  pull  out  readily.  If  not 
keep  the  back  of  skin  damp  until  it  does,  brush- 
ing it  with  clear  water  if  it  gets  dry. 

When  the  over-hairs  start  easily,  cover  the 
beam  with  a  firm  pad  of  several  thicknesses  of 
blanket  or  something  similar  and  put  the  skin  on 
it  fur  up.  Then  with  the  fleshing  knife  rub  out 
most  of  the  over-hairs  by  careful  working.  Pow- 
dered chalk  is  sometimes  sprinkled  on  the  hair 
first.  Any  hairs  not  removed  by  this  are  pulled 
out  by  hand.  Protect  the  right  thumb  with  a 
rubber  cot  and  taking  a  dull  knife  in  that  hand, 
draw  the  skin  over  the  edge  of  a  table  or  board 
and  as  the  long  hairs  come  into  view  grasp  them 
between  the  protected  thumb  and  knife  blade  and 
pull  them  out  with  a  quick  jerk. 

Skins  that  seem  very  gieasy  may  be  rid  of  it 
by  soaking  now  for  an  hour  in  gasoline,  wringing 
out  of  it  and  hanging  in  the  air  to  dry  before 
placing  in  the  tan.  Regular  fur  dressers  depend 
mostly  on  repeated  and  lengthy  "drumming"  to 


120  HOME  MANUFACTURE  OF  FUUS 

clean  skins  as  benzine  or  gasoline  is  quite  ex- 
pensive and  the  wastage  is  considerable,  but  for 
the  amateur  without  power  machines  it  will 
prove  of  great  assistance. 

The  large  dry  cleaning  establishments,  re- 
distill dirty  gasoline  and  recover  it  as  clean  as 
ever  but  for  our  purpose  a  few  settling  cans  will 
answer,  as  if  it  stands  for  a  few  hours  most  of 
the  dirt  will  be  precipitated  and  the  comparative 
clean  liquid  may  be  poured  off.  Water  also  be- 
ing heavier  than  gasoline  will  take  its  place  at 
the  bottom  of  the  can,  but  oils  and  fats  combine 
more  or  less  with  the  volatile  liquid.  Gasoline 
usc,l  for  cleaning  white  furs  may  be  used  again 
on  dark  ones  and  again  for  the  de-greasing  before 
tanniug.  For  the  cleaning  after  tanning  it  may 
be  used  repeatedly,  as  but  little  grease  should 
be  present  then. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

SOFTENING    AND    CLEANING    SKINS. 

THE  dressing  or  tanning  of  furs  may  be 
roughly  separated  into  three  stages,  the 
first  of  which  is  the  soaking,  fleshing,  etc., 
which  tends  to  open  the  pores  and  made  quick 
and  ready  action  of  tanning  chemicals  possible. 
In  the  second,  the  glue  is  dissolved,  the  fibres  sep- 
arated and  the  hair  set  by  these  substances.  In 
many  cases  they  also  help  to  clean  the  skins  by 
cutting  the  albumen  and  oil  of  blood  and  grease 
among  the  fur.  The  subsequent  washing  carries 
off  much  of  this  as  well  as  salts  and  acids,  which 
;f  left  in  the  pores  of  the  skin  would  impair  its 
usefulness. 

The  final  treatment  is  the  softening  and 
cleaning  which  may  be  described  in  one  word, 
work.  In  order  that  a  skin  may  be  equally  soft 
in  all  parts  it  should  be  approximately  of  the 
same  thickness  all  over,  so  the  hide  along  the 
back,  back  of  the  neck  and  at  other  spots  must  be 
thinned  by  knife,  sandpaper  or  other  means. 
Thin  skins  are  often  left  till  now  after  the  taw- 
ing- for  this,  as  there  is  but  little  to  be  removed 
from  them  while  large  thick  hides  should  be 

121 


122 


HOME  MANUFACTURE  OF  FUKS 


shaved  down  before  beginning  or  at  least  before 
completing  the  tawing  process.  Frequently  they 
are  taken  out  of  the  liquor  after  a  short  immer- 
sion and  partly  thinned,  returned  and  again  re- 
moved to  complete  the  shaving. 


SHAVING    MINK   SKINS   IN   A   LARGE   ESTABLISHMENT 

The  first  step  on  freeing  a  skin  from  the 
liquor  should  be  to  spread  it  and  hang  on  a  line 
or  frame  in  a  dry,  airy  place  until  the  moisture 
is  partly  out.  If  left  to  themselves  fur  skins  will 
contract  and  shrink  in  drying,  the  fibres  binding 


SOFTENING  AND  CLEANING  SKINS  12£ 

aiid  gripping  together  making  the  whole  skin 
stiff  and  unfit  for  use.  This  should  be  prevented 
by  pulling  and  stretching  the  skin  in  all  direc- 
tions when  half  dry  and  keeping  up  the  process 
until  it  is  fully  dried  out,  with  the  fibres  in  such 
a  condition  that  a  piece  of  the  hide  may  be 
stretched  in  first  one  way  and  then  another. 
Small  skins  may  be  laid  on  the  beam  with  a  pad 
underneath  them  and  stretched  with  the  fleshing 
knife,  and  large  ones  taken  to  the  stretching 
frame,  where  the  operator  puts  his  weight  into 
the  operation  of  the  crutch  knife  or  in  some  cases 
to  the  stake  knife,  which  performs  a  similar  part 
in  breaking  up  and  loosening  the  fibre. 

If  the  skin  is  to  l>e  cleaned  with  benzine  or 
gasoline  it  should  be  soaked  now  for  thirty  min- 
utes to  an  hour,  wrung  out  and  put  in  a  cleaning 
drum  or  cleaned  by  hand  in  a  tray  or  tub.  The 
dust  from  veneer  saws  is  the  best  but  any  fine 
hardwood  sawdust  may  be  used,  and  common 
corn  meal  answers  very  well.  Without  a  drum 
the  meal  should  be  heated  quite  warm  and  put 
in  a  box  or  tub  with  the  skin  or  skins.  Stir  and 
roll  the  skins  about  until  the  fur  is  completely 
filled  with  the  meal,  then  shake  and  beat  it  out, 
repeat  the  process  until  the  fur  is  dry  and  fluffy. 

Stretch  the  skin  again  and  then  coat  the  in- 
side of  it  with  an  oil  or  oil  dressing  of  some  sort 
to  complete  the  softening,  and  replace  the  na- 


124  HOME  MANUFACTURE  OF  FURS 

tural  uncombined  oil  which  has  been  iu  great 
part  extracted.  There  are  almost  as  many  oil 
dressings  as  fur  dressers,  and  we  will  not  at- 
tempt to  enumerate  them  all.  Usually  they  are 
composed  in  great  part  of  animal  fats  and  oils, 
but  some  advocate  using  mineral  oil  sometimes. 
Some  of  the  best  compositions  for  this  purpose 
are: 

OIL  DRESSING  RECIPES 

(a) 

Soft  Soap   1  pt. 

Neatsfoot  Oil    1    pt. 

Alcohol i/,  pt. 

Mix  and  rub  into  the  flesh  side. 

(b) 

Yolk  of  Egg 8  oz. 

Glycerin 4  oz. 

Apply  sparingly  and  rub  in  well. 

(c) 

Tallow „ 

NeatsfootOil Equal  parts 

Apply  a  good  coat,  about  as  thick  as  the  hide, 
hang  up  till  dry,  then  scrape  off  the  grease  and 
apply  a  thin  coat  of  solution  of  soft  soap.  Let 
stand  twenty-four  hours,  then  scrape  well  and 
clean.  This  is  good  for  heavy  robe  skins. 


SOFTENING  AND  CLEANING  SKINS  125 

W) 

Yellow  Soap 2  parts 

Fine  Oatmeal 1  part 

Make  into  a  paste  \vith  water  and  alcohol. 

Make  several  daily  applications,  working  it  in 

well  each  time. 

(€) 

Mix  a  thin  paste  of  flour  and  water,  bring  it 
to  a  boil  and  add  butter  or  lard  until  the  oil 
appears  on  top,  cool  down  to  lukewarm  and  coat 
the  flesh  side  of  Fkins  with  it.  Let  lie  for  twelve 
hours  and  then  stretch. 

Sperm,  neatsfoot,  kerosene  oil,  vaseline,  but- 
ter, lard  and  vistol  are  all  used  in  softening 
skins.  When  any  oil  or  oily  composition  has 
been  worked  into  a  skin  it  should,  after  sufficient 
softness  is  attained,  be  drummed  or  worked  in 
sawdust,  meal  or  other  absorbent  to  remove  any 
surplus.  A  mild  heat  while  working  the  oil  in 
will  assist  the  operator,  hence  the  efficacy  of  the 
tubbing  process.  The  warmth  from  the  work- 
man's body  and  feet  together  with  that  set  up 
by  the  friction  being  just  about  sufficient.  If  a 
skin  dries  too  much  to  be  readily  broken  and 
stretched  it  should  be  dampened  again  until  in 
proper  condition.  After  a  little  experiment  it  is 
easy  to  determine  when  a  skin  is  in  the  best  shape 
for  breaking  up  and  stretching,  by  the  way  it 
will  whiten  when  stretched. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

SMALL  OR  LIGHT  FURS. 

THE  skins  of  animals  not  larger  than  the 
wolf  or  sheep  are  usually  so  classed,  and 
thus  would  comprise  about  all  the  furs 
most  commonly  used.  In  dressing  these  we  have 
personally  had  best  results  from  using  liquids 
No.  10  and  No.  11  after  thoroughly  fleshing  and 
opening  up. 

The  length  of  time  they  should  remain  in 
cannot  be  exactly  specified,  the  lower  the  tem- 
perature the  longer  it  will  require,  and  a  par- 
tially spent  solution  will  need  more  time  than  a 
fresh  one.  On  taking  from  the  tan,  wash  and 
rinse  thoroughly,  soak  from  one-half  to  an  hour 
(according  to  the  amount  of  grease)  in  gasoline, 
Avring  out,  and  work  in  heated  sawdust  or  meal, 
alternately  working  it  into  the  fur  and  beating  it 
out  until  the  fur  is  clean  and  dry. 

The  skin  will  not  be  dry  yet,  so  hang  in  a 
dry  place,  in  the  air  if  possible,  until  the  leather 
begins  to  dry  out.  Beam  or  stretch  with  crutch 
or  stake  knife  at  intervals  until  dry  .  Probably 
along  the  back,  neck,  etc.,  it  will  seem  stiffer  than 
elsewhere.  If  a  good  durable  skin,  thin  down 

126 


SMALL  Oil  LKJHT  FURS  17,7 

these  places  with  curriers  knife,  turned  edge 
scraper  or  sandpaper  block. 

Treat  the  inside  of  skin  to  a  coat  of  oil  or 
oil  dressing,  say  (a)  or  (d)  and  \vork  it  in  by 
tramping,  pounding  or  rolling,  wringing  and  rub- 
bing with  the  hands.  Let  it  stand  twelve  to 
twenty-four  hours  and  if  soft  enough,  clean  with 
sawdust,  beat  free  of  the  dust  and  with  a  fur 
comb  work  out  any  tangles  that  may  remain. 
Some  claim  that  immersion  in  tanning  liquids 
injures  the  fur,  and  undoubtedly  the  alum  mix- 
tures are  apt  to  make  it  dull  and  harsh. 

In  case  an  application  is  made  to  the  flesh 
side  only  of  a  skin  it  had  best  be  washed  or 
scoured  on  that  side  with  water  and  soap,  or  soda 
in  case  acid  has  been  used,  before  drying  and 
stretching.  Sawdust  may  be  sufficient  for  clean- 
ing the  fur  of  such  a  skin  in  some  cases,  but  for  a 
badly  scented  skunk  it  will  be  entirely  inade- 
quate. The  scent  of  furbearing  animals  being 
of  an  oily  nature  is  soluble  in  benzine  or  gasoline, 
though  not  in  water,  so  washing  in  either  of  the 
former  liquids  will  remove  it  from  furs. 

The  beginner  should  experiment  on  some  of 
the  smaller  and  at  the  same  time  less  delicate 
skins  of  little  value.  A  wild  cat,  or  failing  it  one 
of  the  domestic  variety,  furnished  a  good  skin 
for  practice.  It  is  not  so  difficult  to  dress  one 
with  snow  white  leather  as  soft  as  velvet.  The 


128  HOME  MANUFACTURE  OF  FURS 

fur  of  all  the  cat  kind  is  prone  to  knot  and  tangle 
if  not  thoroughly  cleaned,  especially  when  it  is 
long  and  silky  like  the  lynx. 

A  raccoon  skin  may  be  used  for  a  first  at- 
tempt but  is  a  little  more  difficult  as  it  is  apt  to 
be  more  greasy,  and  the  back  of  the  neck  at  least 
Avill  require  a  liberal  thinning  down. 

Skins  up  to  the  fox  in  size  are  dressed  either 
open  or  cased,  though  most  of  the  small  skins 
remain  cased  until  they  get  into  the  cutter's 
hands. 

A  small  beam  is  a  necessity  for  working 
these  and  parts  of  larger  skins.  A  piece  of  wood 
about  2x3  inches  and  three  feet  long  may  be 
tapered  to  a  blunt  point  at  one  end,  half  rounded 
and  bolted  to  the  top  of  work  bench  or  table  for 
this  purpose.  All  cased  skins  must  be  turned 
from  time  to  time  in  order  to  work  on  both  the 
leather  and  fur  sides.  A  contrivance  somewhat 
resembling  a  small  beam  with  a  clamp  to  hold 
the  head  of  the  skin  will  facilitate  this  in  the  case 
of  minks,  weasels  and  similar  sizes. 

The  heads,  tails  and  paws  if  preserved  with 
these  small  skins  need  some  attention,  as  they 
are  all  frequently  made  into  trimming  for  fur 
sets,  hats,  etc.  A  device  to  answer  the  purpose 
of  the  stake  knife  in  breaking  up  and  softening 
small  stock  may  be  improvised  by  fastening  a 
piece  of  steel  in  the  jaws  of  a  vise  and  drawing 


SMALL  OR  LIGHT  FURS  12$ 

the  skins  over  the  edge  of  it.  A  piece  of  saw 
blade  3x5  inches  or  so  with  the  upper  corners 
taken  off  and  ground  square  on  the  edge  is  about 
right  for  this. 

Skins  of  no  great  value  such  as  rabbit,  squir- 
rel or  mole  are  sometimes  brushed  on  the  flesh 
side  with  a  paste  of  soap  and  oatmeal  or  flour, 
scraping  it  off  and  oiling  and  rubbing  afterward. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

HEAVY    FURS. 

THE  skins  of  bears,  tigers,  leopards  as  well 
as  horse  and  cattle  hides  to  be  made  up 
in  robes,  rugs,  and  coats  may  be  called 
heavy  furs,  and  will  require  considerable  more 
labor  in  their  preparation  than  those  of  the  smal- 
ler animals.    This  is  principally  in  the  thinning 
down  necessary  to  secure  a  proper  degree  of  flex- 
ibility, as  their  treatment  otherwise  should  be 
about  the  same. 

.  These  should  be  well  reduced  in  thickness 
with  the  knife  before  putting  in  to  tan  to  secure 
a  rapid  penetration  by  the  liquor.  Elk  and 
moose  wanted  with  the  hair  on  are  dressed  in  the 
same  manner,  and  unless  of  very  young  animals 
will  need  to  be  thinned  over  the  entire  surface. 

Special  care  should  be  taken  not  to  mutilate 
the  heads  and  paws  of  large  fur  skins  which  can 
be  mounted  as  rugs*.  It  is  better  to  leave  the  final 
thinning  of  these  parts  to  be  done  when  they  are 
mounted.  In  the  case  of  bears,  wolves  and  simi- 
lar skins  to  be  made  into  robes  or  garments  the 
heads  may  be  trimmed  off  before  dressing,  as  it 
is  not  possible  to  make  use  of  them  or  the  paws 

ISO 


HEAVY  FURS 


131 


in  such  work.  They  may  be  used  to  repair  where 
such  parts  are  wanted  to  be  mounted  for  hanging 
on  the  wall,  as  such  decorations  are  quite  at- 
tractive. 


SKIVING    BEAVER    SKINS 

All  Except  Very  Thin  Skins  Should  be  Reduced  in  Thickness  with 
Curriers'    or    Skiving   Knives. 

When  skins  are  tanned  in  any  numbers  very 
little  waste  is  allowed.  The  fat  and  grease  re- 
moved from  raw  skins  is  saved  and  rendered  or 
sold,  and  the  leather  tanneries  sell  the  cattle  hair 
for  plasterers'  use,  the  spent  bark  for  packing 
and  fleshings  and  scraps  for  fertilizer. 


132  HOME  MANUFACTURE  OF  FURSs 

It  goes  without  saying  that  much  more  time 
is  required  for  tanning  ingredients  to  penetrate 
heavy  skins;  from  three  days  to  a  week  is  about 
the  usual  limit.  There  is  vei-y  little  profit  for  the 
hand  workman  in  the  dressing  alone  of  this  class 
of  skins,  and  the  work  is  hard  and  dirty. 

Cattle  hides  for  robes  or  coats  should  be 
selected  for  a  heavy  coat  of  hair  and  be  what  are 
termed  "spready,"  that  is,  of  comparatively  large 
area  for  the  weight.  Thick  heavy  skins  from  old 
animals  are  usually  more  valuable  for  leather 
making. 

Polar  bear  skins  are  not  to  my  knowledge 
used  for  any  purpose  but  floor  rugs  except  by 
the  Eskimo,  but  they  require  a  struggle  to  free 
them  from  grease.  If  this  is  not  thoroughly  done 
the  white  fur  will  turn  a  fine  yellow  and  the  skin 
itself  may  drop  to  pieces  if  it  was  allowed  to 
stand  in  the  grease  too  long  before  dressing. 

One  of  the  largest  polar  bear  rugs  I  ever  saw 
disintegrated  in  this  way  after  it  had  been 
mounted  a  few  years,  and  although  it  was  worth 
several  hundred  dollars  all  attempts  to  repair  it 
were  useless.  The  hide  was  so  crisp  and  tender 
it  simply  would  not  hold  together.  A  sharp 
needle  would  push  a  piece  out  of  it  before  it 
tvould  penetrate. 

Comparatively  speaking,  polar  bear  skins 
are  worth  less  now  than  several  centuries  ago, 


HEAVY  FURS  133 

being  estimated  then  as  a  trophy  of  the  highest 
bravery.  Now  the  use  of  fire  arms  of  precision 
has  made  it  possible  for  almost  any  Arctic  trav- 
eler to  secure  them,  but  they  are  still  quite  ex- 
pensive. 

Considerable  gasoline  is  required  to  degrease 
such  skins  on  account  of  their  size  and  the  heavy 
coat  of  fur.  On  account  of  the  extra  expense  and 
labor  involved  the  dressing  charges  are  rather 
higher  than  for  other  skins  of  similar  size. 

We  once  received  four  irregular  pieces  of 
polar  bear  skin  to  be  dressed,  and  on  questioning 
the  owner  as  to  such  peculiar  modes  of  skinning, 
he  informed  us  that  he  had  purchased  the  pieces 
of  four  natives  on  the  shores  of  Hudson's  Bay. 
The  party  of  four  hunters  had  killed  the  bear  and 
divided  the  carcass,  skin  and  all  among  them. 
He  had  arrived  before  they  separated  or  used  any 
of  tbe  skin,  and  purchased  it  from  the  several 
owners.  It  turned  out  a  very  fair  skin,  and  the 
weird  design  of  seams  made  in  fastening  it  to- 
gether was  hidden  by  the  lining  on  one  side  and 
by  the  heavy  white  fur  on  the  other. 

Very  few  skins  of  the  American  Bison  or 
buffalo  will  fall  into  the  robe  dresser's  hands  at 
the  present  time,  though  once  so  numerous.  Ef- 
forts have  been  made  to  partially  domesticate 
them,  but  with  indifferent  success.  They  seem 
essentially  a  creature  of  the  wilds,  unsuited  even 


134  HOME  MANUFACTURE  OF  FURS 

for  generous  enclosed  range?.  Oil  account  of  the 
woolly  coat  and  the  grease  used  by  the  Indian 
dressers,  they  were  an  especial  prey  of  the  moth, 
and  with  all  civilized  appliances  would  prove 
difficult  to  clean  properly.  A  few  skins  of  the 
inuskox  are  handled  by  the  trade  each  year,  but 
these  never  numerous  seem  growing  scarcer  too. 
They  are  used  for  robes  and  have  even  longer  hair 
than  the  buffalo.  Treatment  similar  to  that  for 
cattle  hides  will  fur  dress  either  bison  or  musk 
ox. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

DEER  SKINS  AND  BUCKSKIN. 

SOME  species  of  deer  being  common  to  almost 
every  part  of  America  the  native  inhabi- 
tants made  universal  use  of  its  flesh  and 
skin  as  food  and  clothing.  The  early  white  set- 
tlers took  readily  to  buckskin  as  a  substitute  for 
their  coarse  hand  made  or  high  priced  imported 
cloth.  In  the  making  of  men's  garments  for 
rough  wear  it  held  much  the  same  place  as  the 
cotton  ducks  and  drillings  of  today,  which  were 
not  then  manufactured. 

By  adopting  the  Indian  mode  of  dressing,  it 
could  be  made  ready  for  use  in  a  very  short  time, 
at  no  expense  whatever  but  the  labor  and  with 
but  the  rudest  tools.  Except  in  the  extreme 
North  it  is  but  little  used  for  clothing  at  the  pres- 
ent time,  but  the  demand  for  it  chiefly  as  glove 
material  is  practically  unlimited.  Deer  skins  are 
frequently  dressed  with  the  hair  on  for  use  as 
rugs  or  robes,  and  in  the  far  north  many  natives 
and  some  whites  use  them  as  clothing  or  bedding 
to  repel  the  intense  cold. 

The  hair  of  the  deer  family  has  a  hollo\1 
structure  more  or  less  like  that  of  a  bird's  quill, 
and  in  the  case  of  the  reindeer  or  caribou  at  least, 

135 


136  HOME  MANUFACTURE  OF  FURS 

these  are  partitioned  off  into  numerous  cells  all 
filled  with  air.  This  peculiar  structure  makes 
a  heavy  coat  of  deer  hair  a  good  protection 
against  cold  and  wet.  The  hair  of  the  common 
deer  is  apt  to  be  rather  orittle,  breaking  off  con- 
tinually when  in  use.  The  shorter  haired  skins 
give  less  trouble  in  this  respect. 

The  does  and  fawns  furnish  skins  that  dress 
very  soft  with  little  thinning,  and  are  treated  in 
about  the  same  manner  as  the  small  fur  animals. 
Buck  deer  skins  are  much  heavier  and  need  ex- 
ieiisive  paring  to  make  them  flexible,  and  after 
rinsing  out  the  tan  liquor  and  partly  drying 
snould  be  given  sat  least  ,wo  coats  of  some  oil 
dressing.  One  pint  of  neatsfoot  oil  beaten  up 
with  a  half  pint  of  leached  lye  and  applied  with 
a  brush  is  good  to  soften  deer  skins  and  light  furs 
as  well. 

In  the  chapter  on  Indian  Skin  Dressing, 
buckskin  making  in  its  simplest  form  is  described 
and  the  white  man's  style  is  but  little  different. 
Soap  is  commonly  substituted  for  brain  dressing 
and  the  smoking  is  done  in  a  smokehouse,  or 
lacking  that  a  box  or  barret.  The  skins  are  first 
unliaired,  and  this  may  be  accomplished  in  sev- 
eral ways,  the  simplest  of  which  is  to  soak  in 
clear  water  till  the  hair  slips.  A  tub  of  luke- 
warm water  kept  in  a  warm  room  will  help  this 
along. 


DEER  SKINS  Af\TD  BUCKSKIN  137 

If  treated  with  ashes  and  lime  the  skin 
should  be  well  washed  or  soaked  in  bran  water 
to  kill  the  lime.  Some  writers  say  that  deer 
skins  may  be  grained  immediately  on  removing 
from  the  animal  without  soaking  but  I  have 
never  seen  it  done.  Frequently  it  would  be  im- 
possible. 

When  the  hair  and  "grain"  or  epidermis  can 
be  readily  scraped  off,  put  the  skin  on  the  beam 
hair  down  and  flesh  it  well,  then  turn  it  over  and 
scrape  off  all  hair  and  epidermis. 

A  steel  tool  with  a  square  edge  is  best  for 
tnis.  A  skate  blade  will  do  it  nicely.  If  you  pre- 
fer, the  graining  may  be  done  before  the  fleshing ; 
it  is  immaterial  which  is  first. 

Next  dissolve  a  half  bar  of  laundry  soap  in 
two  gallons  of  warm  water.  While  still  warm 
put  the  skin  in  and  work  the  suds  well  into  it. 
Let  it  stand  about  twenty-four  hours,  take  it  out, 
wring  and  pull  it  dry.  Give  it  a  coat  of  oil  dress- 
ing of  some  kind,  butter  or  grease  will  do,  warm 
the  water,  add  another  half  bar  of  soap  and  put 
in  again.  After  twenty-four  hours  more  take  it 
out  and  pull  and  stretch  as  it  dries.  A  very 
thick  skin  may  require  a  third  soaking  in  the 
warm  soap  suds,  but  twice  should  answer  for 
does  and  young  bucks. 

When  dry  and  soft,  skins  should  be  smoked 
with  a  punky  or  dozy  hardwood  fire;  this  should 


138  HOME  MANUFACTURE  OF  FURS 

give  them  a  nice  yellow  tinge,  much  better  than 
can  be  done  rubbing  ochre  into  the  buckskin,  as 
is  sometimes  done. 

If  you  wish  to  try  bwkskin  dressing  and 
have  no  deerskin  to  experiment  on,  calf,  sheep 
or  goat  skins  may  receive  the  same  treatment. 
The  humble  woodchuck  can  be  turned  into  a 
leather  suitable  for  mittens,  moccasins  and  other 
odds  and  ends.  Buckskin  vests  are  frequently 
called  for  as  they  keep  the  wearers  warm  in  cold 
weather,  repelling  the  wind  from  the  vital  parts 
of  the  body.  For  such  purposes  light  buckskins 
like  that  from  yearling  deer  is  most  suitable  and 
should  be  softened  by  the  application  of  more 
elbow  than  other  grease.  Heavy  skins  for  moc- 
casins should  have  a  coat  of  oil  or  dressing  ap- 
plied to  each  side. 

INDIAN  MODE  OF  MAKING 
BUCKSKIN. 

Take  the  skin  and  immerse  it  in  warm  water, 
say  two  ten-quart  pails  full,  throw  in  several 
handsfuls  of  wood  ashes  and  stir  well.  Immerse 
the  skin  in  this  mixture  until  the  hair  slips  off 
easy,  then  remove  to  your  fleshing  beam  as  before 
mentioned,  and  flesh  it  clean.  Turn  it  over  and 
scrape  off  the  hair,  using  the  draw  knife  with 
the  handles  bent  straight  by  the  blacksmith,  as 


DEER  SKINS  AND  BUCKSKIN  139 

mentioned  for  sheep  skins.  After  the  hair  is 
removed,  there  is  left  a  thin  skin  or  cuticle, 
brown  in  color.  Now  wash  the  skin  in  clean 
warm  water  and  pass  it  through  a  wringer,  such 
as  is  used  for  wringing  clothes.  Now  take  the 
brains  of  the  animal,  dry  them  slowly,  taking 
care  not  to  burn  or  cook  them,  when  dry  put 
them  in-a  cloth  and  boil  them  until  they  are  soft. 
Cool  down  the  liquor  until  blood  warm,  then  add 
water  enough  to  immerse  the  skin  in,  and  soak  it 
until  perfectly  soft ;  pass  it  through  the  wringer 
and  work  it  as  described  for  the  sheep  pelt,  until 
soft  and  dry.  If  3rou  have  not  got  the  deerhead 
so  you  can  procure  the  brains,  then  use  lard  in 
place  of  the  brains  and  soak  in  this  liquor  six 
hours,  then  rub  dry  and  soft,  and  you  will  have 
a  good  piece  of  buckskin.  Smoke  the  skin  by 
the  white  man's  method. 

THE    WHITE    MAN'S    MODE    OL    MAKING 
BUCKSKIN. 

Put  the  skin  in  wood  ashes  OP  lime  Trater 
that  is  about  as  thick  as  milk  or  thicker,  leave 
it  there  until  the  hair  slips  off  easy,  then  put  it 
on  the  fleshing  beam  and  flesh  clean,  i.  e.,  scrape 
off  all  meat  and  fat,  after  the  hair  is  off,  scrape 
the  brown  skin  off  also,  that  that  lies  just  under 
the  hair,  (a  thin  cuticle  skin),  it  is  sometimes 


140  HOME  MANUFACTURE  OF  FURS 

called  the  grain.  After  this  is  well  done,  grease 
the  flesh  side  with  bacon  grease  or  butter,  which 
ever  you  have  at  hand;  then  hang  for  a  day  or 
two  days  for  that  matter.  Now  take  some  of  the 
good  old  home-made  soft  soap  and  make  a  good 
suds,  immerse  the  skin  and  leave  it  until  you  can 
squeeze  water  through  it  with  ease.  Usually  it 
takes  from  four  to  ten  days,  depending  on  the 
thickness  of  the  skin.  Keep  in  a  warm  place  like 
a  tent,  while  doing  this.  When  water  passes 
through  the  skin  by  squeezing  easily,  take  it  out, 
rinse  in  clean  soft  water,  pass  it  through  a 
wringer  a  few  times,  and  work  until  dry.  If  you 
have  no  home-made  soap  at  hand  to  do  this  with, 
use  common  bar  soap. 

Now  this  is  fine  buckskin,  but  when  it  is 
wet,  it  dries  out  hard.  To  prevent  this  we  (and 
the  Indians  also)  smoke  it.  There  are  many 
ways  to  do  this,  but  probably  as  simple  a  way  as 
any  is  to  cut  about  a  dozen  switches  or  hard 
wood  about  six  feet  long,  sharpen  the  butts  and 
stick  them  in  the  ground  in  a  circle  three  or  four 
feet  in  diameter,  gather  the  tops  together  and  tie 
them,  this  forming  a  wickiup  or  tepee,  or  as  some 
call  it,  an  Indian  wigwam.  Spread  the  skin  on 
this  as  for  a  covering,  taking  care  to  cover  any 
holes  that  are  left  with  some  other  material,  like 
old  cloth  or  canvas,  if  the  skin  does  not  suffice 
(and  usually  it  does  not).  Now  with  some  dry 


DEER  SKINS  AND  BUCKSKIN  141 

hardwood  chips  or  punk  (but  use  hardwood  in 
any  case)  build  a  smudge  inside  your  tepee  and 
the  smaller  and  cooler  it  is  the  better.  The  first 
few  hours  have  only  smoke  enough  to  be  visible 
to  the  eye,  make  as  little  heat  as  possible,  keep  in 
mind  it  is  a  cool  smoke  you  want  and  not  heat. 
Keep  your  smudge  going  until  your  skin  is  a  light 
brown,  or  just  a  little  darker  than  cream  color, 
and  you  will  have  a  nice  piece  of  "buckskin." 
Sometimes  it  is  advisable  to  turn  the  skin  to  get 
an  even  color;  good  buckskin  makes  some  handy 
articles,  such  as  niitts,  gloves,  moccasins,  shirts, 
etc.  Moccasins  are  fine  to  wear  around  the  house, 
also  for  bed  slippers  and  many  other  uses. 

When  a  boy  on  the  farm  we  used  to  tan 
squirrel  skins  and  woodchuck  skins  by  immersing 
them  in  water  and  wood  ashes  until  the  hair 
slipped  off.  Then  scrape  off  the  grain  and  im- 
merse in  the  soft  soap  barrel  for  several  days, 
afterwards  taking  them  out,  then  washing,  pull 
ing  and  drying  them. 

We  used  this  leather  for  facing  for  our  mitts 
and  other  uses,  and  it  was  all  right.  The  soft 
soap  should  be  medium  strong  for  this  tan. 

Eel  skins  can  be  tanned  the  same  way  as  the 
chuck  skins,  only  of  course  no  fleshing  has  to  be 
done.  The  skins  make  the  strongest  strings  or 
thongs  in  existence. 


142  HOME  MANUFACTURE  OF  FURS 

Much  "buckskin"  nowadays  comes  mostly 
from  a  sheep's  back.  I  will  give  an  infallible  rule 
by  which  to  tell  genuine  "buckskin"  from  a  deer's 
back.  After  the  skin  is  tanned  by  "any  old  pro- 
fess," on  the  flesh  side  you  will  observe  little 
veins  or  channels  where  they  once  were.  They 
are  spread  like  the  veins  on  the  back  of  the  hands, 
only  smaller;  where  these  are  found  on  a  hide  or 
skin,  you  may  rest  assured  it  is  "buckskin"  off  a 
deer's  back. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

SHEEP  AND  GOAT  SKINS. 

SUCH  skins  as  these  should  be  selected  with 
care  and  with  regard  to  the  purpose  for 
which  they  are  to  be  used.  Sheep  make 
good  coat  collars  and  linings  and  may  also  be 
worked  up  into  robes  and  sleeping  bags.  Many 
goat  skins  are  handled  by  the  trade,  but  the  bulk 
of  these  are  imported. 

Those  from  North  China  are  received  dressed 
and  being  of  heavy  fur,  are  made  up  both  dyed 
and  natural  in  coats,  capes  and  robes.  Many 
thousand  goat  skins  are  received  from  Mexico 
and  the  Central  American  countries,  but  these 
are  chiefly  for  leather  purposes.  The  Angora 
goat  furnishes  a  skin  which  may  well  be  classi- 
fied as  fur.  In  fact  it  is  often  put  on  the  market 
as  "Iceland  Fox"  or  "Thibet  Fur"  and  is  used 
for  ladies'  muffs,  collarettes  and  trimmings.  The 
skins  of  sheep  and  goats  are  seldom  very  thick 
and  for  this  reason  usually  dress  readily  and 
soften  with  the  use  of  little  or  no  oil  or  grease. 

To  thoroughly  clean  the  wool  or  fur  is  prob- 
ably the  most  difficult  part  of  the  job,  but  the 
gasoline  washing  will  accomplish  this  perfectly. 

143 


144  HOME  MANUFACTURE  OF  FURS 

Kepeateu'  washings  in  strong  soap  suds  and  rins- 
ing with  clear  water  will  also  effect  the  same 
pin-pose,  but  not  so  quickly  and  completely. 
'Whatever  l^rni  of  cleaning  is  employed  it  should 
be  after  tawing  or  steeping  with  some  of  the 
usual  preparations. 

For  cleaning  one  sheep  skin,  dissolve  a  pound 
of  soap  in  two  quarts  of  boiling  water  and  mix 
half  of  this  in  a  tub  with  a  gallon  of  cold  water. 
Wash  the  skin  in  this  until  it  will  extract  no 
more  dirt,  then  use  the  other  quart  diluted  in  the 
same  way  to  remove  the  rest  of  the  dirt.  Rinse 
thoroughly  in  water  slightly  warmeu.  A  little 
laundry  blue  in  the  last  rinse  water  will  help 
whiten  the  wool.  Wringing  thoroughly  after 
each  wash  or  scouring  and  rinsing,  especially  ii 
a  roller  wringer  is  used  will  help  the  cleaning. 

It  should  be  well  shaken  out  from  time  to 
time  as  the  drying  proceeds  and  broken  up  and 
stretched  as  has  been  directed  for  other  skins. 
Not  being  very  thick  but  little  skiving  will  be 
necessary. 

If  the  gasoline  bath  is  used  it  she  \ld  be  -^fter 
the  tawing  solution  has  been  rinsed  out  or  the 
wool,  and  by  putting  in  drum  or  tray  with  th«j 
hot  meal  it  will  be  cleaned  in  short  order.  The 
gasoline  will  remove  the  objectionable  mutton  or 
goat  odor  from  skins. 

Angora  skins  with  fleece  tangled  or  matted 


SHEEP  AND  GOAT  SKINS  145 

with  burrs  and  chaff  are  often  useless  as  furs. 
A  short  or  medium  length  of  fleece  is  to  be  pre- 
ferred in  both  sheep  and  angora  skins.  A  very 
heavy  fleece  with  a  thin  skin  is  not  desirable. 
Sheep  skins  with  long  fleece  may  be  dressed  and 
made  up  as  wool  dusters  at  a  profit  sometimes. 
In  order  to  make  them  attractive  for  this  purpose 
and  also  as  rugs  the}'  may  be  dyed  a  variety  of 
bright  colors. 

For  use  as  white  furs  they  will  need  bleach- 
ing if  after  cleaning  they  still  have  a  yellow 
tinge.  To  accomplish  this  procure  or  make  a  box, 
large  enough  so  a  sheep  skin  may  be  spread  to 
full  extent  on  one  side  of  it.  It  will  accommo- 
date from  two  to  five  skins,  according  to  shape. 
On  the  inside  tack  the  skins,  flesh  side  next  to 
the  wood  so  they  will  not  hang  down  in  the  mid- 
dle or  elsewhere.  Now  put  a  sulphur  candle  in 
the  middle  of  the  bottom  of  the  box,  light  and 
close  the  lid.  If  the  candles  are  not  to  be  had 
put  a  half  pound  of  sulphur  in  a  tin  plate  and 
drop  some  hot  coals  or  red  hot  metal  on  it  to 
light  it.  Any  holes  or  cracks  in  the  box  should 
be  calked  up  and  the  lid  made  to  fit  tight  before 
using,  but  some  fumes  will  escape  anyway,  so 
the  job  had  best  be  done  out  of  doors.  In  six  or 
eight  hours  the  fumes  will  have  bleached  the  wool 
and  the  skins  may  be  hung  in  the  open  air  to 
free  them  from  the  smell. 


146  HOME  MANUFACTURE  OF  FURS 

When  dressing  sheep  without  the  wool  for 
leather  or  "imitation"  buckskin,  if  the  wool  is 
of  a  good  length  it  can  be  saved  and  sold.  Some- 
times it  is  sheared  off  and  the  skin  then  soaked 
in  the  lime  and  ashes  solution,  but  more  gener- 
ally the  skin  is  soaked  in  such  a  way  as  not  to 
foul  the  wool,  which  is  then  pulled.  To  do  this 
the  skins  are  first  wet  and  then  painted  on  the 
flesh  sides  with  a  batter  of  lime,  ashes  and  water. 
Placed  flesh  sides  together,  they  are  piled  and 
left  several  days  in  a  warm  room  until  the  wool 
pulls  readily.  After  pulling  the  skins  are  to  be 
grained  and  treated  about  as  buckskin.  Shear- 
lings and  skins  from  which  the  wool  has  been  cut 
are  shown  no  especial  consideration  but  soaked 
and  grained  as  usual. 

As  wool  is  of  a  different 
nature  from  fur  it  is  not  es- 
pecially difficult  to  dye,  and 
the  ordinary  package  dyes  for 
wool  will  do  good  work  on 
sheepskins.  For  carriage  and 
auto  robes  sheepskins  are 
trimmed  square  and  if  it  is 
wished  to  make  a  few  dusters, 
cut  a  long  fleeced  skin  into 
WOOTLERDNUSTER  triangular  pieces  like  the  .cut. 
Sew  the  sides  of  this  pattern 
together  including  the  rounded  end,  and  stuff 


SHEEI'  AND  GOAT  SKINS  147 

ubout  one-half  the  length  with  wool  combings 
or  nigs  to  shape  the  duster  and  prevent  the  han- 
dle marring  the  furniture.  The  handles  may  be 
made  for  a  few  cents  each  on  a  lathe  of  soft  wood 
and  any  design  to  suit.  They  may  be  stained  or 
given  a  coat  or  two  of  enamel  paint  and  when 
inserted  in  the  duster  are  held  by  tacking  se* 
i  urely.  A  strip  of  colored  leather  tacked  around 
will  conceal  the  fastening  and  give  it  a  finish. 
Comb  the  wool  out  nicely  and  you  will  have  a 
duster  suitable  to  use  on  the  finest  furniture  or 
pianos. 

A  practical  man  gives  the  following  sugges- 
tions for 

TANNING  SHEEPSKINS. 

Many  times  one  has  a  nice  sheep  pelt  which 
one  woufd  like  to  convert  into  a  rug;  or  several 
which  he  would  like  to  do  likewise  with.  A  robe, 
or  mittens,  for  mind  you  a  lamb  skin  makes  good 
mits.  What  we  want  is  good  results  at  low  cost. 

Like  all  tanning  there  are  plenty  of  methods. 
For  tanning  sheep  skin,  the  following  I  like  best 
of  all.  First  trim  off  all  ragged  pieces,  then  soak 
in  cold  water  until  the  skin  is  soft,  or  until  you 
feel  no  hard  spots  in  it.  If  the  skin  is  soft  and  a 
hard  spot  remains,  then  soak  the  hard  spot;  usu- 
ally twenty-four  hours  is  about  right  for  the  av- 


148  HOME  MANUFACTURE  OF  FUKS 

erage  skin.  Remove  the  hide,  place  over  a  half 
round  block,  peeled  slab  or  log,  flesh  side  up,  and 
with  an  old  draw  knife  scrape  off  all  flesh  and 
fat.  Now  mix  with  your  soft  soap.  A  strong 
soap  suds  as  warm  as  you  can  bear  your  hand  iii, 
and  wash  the  skin  clean,  wool  and  all.  A  wash- 
board will  help  matters.  Also  pick  out  all  burs, 
etc.,  and  make  the  skin  nice  and  clean.  Now  you 
are  ready  for  the  tanning. 

While  the  skins  are  damp,  mix  together  one 
pound  pulverized  alum,  half  a  pound  saltpetre 
^nd  twice  the  bulk  of  the  whole  mess  of  bran. 
Spread  this  evenly  over  the  skins  one-fourth  inch 
thick;  now  fold  the  skin,  wool  side  out,  and  let 
4je  in  a  cool  place  several  days,  the  longer  the 
better.  " ^  long  as  the  place  is  cool;  say  a  week. 
Now  scrape  off  the  mixture,  dry  out  the  skins 
and  work  until  soft.  Now  a  word  about  working 
soft :  The  easiest  way,  if  the  skin  is  large  enough, 
Is  to  take  a  smooth  sharp  edge  board,  nail  it  to 
d  beam  or  tree,  supporting  the  outside  end  with 
an  upright,  and  with  a  person  holding  each  end 
draw  bark  and  forth  across  the  edge  of  the  board 
until  the  skin  is  dry  and  soft.  Let  the  skin  dry  a 
while  then  rub  a  while.  If  this  is  not  carried 
out,  your  skin  will  look  like  an  old  battered  kero- 
sene can.  If  your  skin  does  not  come  out  to  suit 
you,  it  can  always  be  tanned  over  again  by  this 
process. 


SHEEP  AND  GOAT  SKINS  149 

With  a  heavy  leathered  skin,  I  have  known 
the  process  to  begin  by  pounding  the  skin  with 
a  club.  I  know  of  a  moose  hide  that  was  broken 
this  way,  and  by  constant  use  was  as  soft  as  silk. 
In  the  case  of  fur  skins,  rub  them  in  your  hands, 
and  a  dry  washboard  will  help.  I  forgot  to  add 
that  after  washing  the  skin  in  the  soap  suds, 
rinse  in  warm  soft  water,  and  if  the  skin  is  small 
enough,  run  it  through  a  wringer. 

The  treatment  for  goat  skins  is  practically 
the  same  as  for  sheep  in  dressing  and  cleaning. 
The  pelts  (except  Angoras)  being  more  on  the 
order  of  hair  than  wool,  fur  dying  methods 
should  be  used  to  color  them. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

MISCELLANEOUS   SKINS.  (JATOLi,  SNAKE,   BIRDS,  ETC. 

IX  the  preparation  of  alligator  hides  they  are 
tii  st  soaked  from  'two  to  six  days,  according 
lo  condition  and  size,  the  larger  ones  longest. 
After  sufficient  soaking  they  are  removed  to  a 
lime  solution,  weaker  than  that  used  for  unhair- 
ing,  in  which  they  remain  from  eight  to  fifteen 
days,  depending  on  size  and  temperature.  Dur- 
ing this  time  the  hides,  are  daily  or  frequently 
removed  to  a  stronger  solution  of  lime.  From 
the  lime  soak  they  go  to  the  beam  for  fleshing  and 
then  to  the  bran  drench  or  "bate"  to  remove  the 
lime  from  the  skin. 

This  bate  is  prepared  by  pouring  hot  water 
upon  bran  and  the  skins  kept  in  this  liquid  at 
about  seventy  degrees,  when  fermentation  soon 
begins.  In  this  the  skins  are  moved  about  fre- 
quently for  a  day  or  more,  then  well  rinsed  in 
clear  water  and  put  to  tan  in  a  weak  extract  of 
oak  bark,  sumac  or  gambia.  This  is  strengthened 
every  few  daj's  for  perhaps  three  weeks  when 
the  hides  are  removed  and  partially  dried  so  they 
may  be  shaved  again  on  the  fle»h  side  to  reduce 
the  thickness  still  further.  They  $re  then  returned 
to  the  tan  liquor  for  several  days  longer, 
Strengthening  the  liquid  from  time  to  time.  The 

.150 


MISCELLANEOUS  SKINS 


151 


tanning  finished,  they  are  scoured  or  washed 
well,  stretched  and  nailed  on  boards  or  frames 
and  dried. 

If  intended  for  shoes  the  leather  is  now  well 
filled  with  a  tallow  and  oil  dressing  which  is 
omitted  otherwise,  and  the  hides  staked  to  make 
them  soft  and  pliable.  This  is  the  commercial 
tanning  and  dressing  of  alligator  skins,  and  it 
produces  a  yellowish  brown  leather  which  is  also 
dyed  black  and  various  colors  for  ornamental 
use. 

The  different  tawing  solutions  will  preserve 
alligator  skins,  but  will  not  produce  the  fine 
leather  that  solutions  of  tannic  acid  do,  and  of 
course  it  is  out  of  the  question  to  oil  dress  them 
as  in  the  case  of  buckskin. 

Sharks,  rays  and  all  the  cartilaginous  fishes 
possess  skins  that  are  very  durable.  Formerly 

many  of  these 
skins  were  used 
for  polishing  and 
smoothing  wood, 
ivory,  etc.,  but 
.the  great  im- 
p  r  o  v  ements  in 
-  preparing  sand- 
papers and  com- 
positions of  em- 
SKIN  OF  MOTTLED  SHARK  ery  have  super- 


152  HOME  MANUFACTURE  OF  FURS 

seded  them  for  such  purposes.  Some  parts  of 
these  skins  are  very  rough  and  hard,  so  durable 
as  to  outwear  many  sheets  of  sandpaper  of  the 
same  size.  Unlike  the  skins  of  mammals  they 
seem  to  be  non-porous  and  so  proof  against  the 
absorption  of  water. 

In  preparation  for  use  by  cabinet-makers 
shark  skins  are  merely  cleaned  by  soaking  and 
fleshing  and  not  tanned  at  all. 

To  prepare  them  as  leather  the  skins  may  be 
soaked,  limed,  bran  drenched,  scoured,  fleshed 
and  finally  soaked  in  an  alum  solution  (No.  1 
Alum  Tawing  Solution)  for  two  or  three  days, 
then  removed  and  dried.  Such  skins  are  used 
principally  to  cover  jewel  boxes,  cardcases  and 
especially  sword  grips,  for  which  its  rough  sur- 
face particularly  fits  it.  But  few  such  skins  are 
prepared  in  this  country,  though  in  Europe  and 
Asia  many  are  used. 

Fish  skins  are  chiefly  used  for  ornamental 
purposes  such  as  covering  small  cases,  boxes, 
picture  frames,  etc.,  but  have  been  made  into 
serviceable  shoes  and  gloves.  The  natives  of 
Alaska  and  Siberia  preserve  skins  of  salmon,  cod 
and  other  fish  for  use  as  garments  and  bags. 
They  remove  the  scales,  dry  the  skins  and  work 
them  soft  by  scraping.  The  finished  product  re- 
sembling kid  in  appearance  and  softness,  is  fre« 
quently  dyed  red,  yellow,  blue  or  brown  and  sewn 


MISCELLANEOUS  SKINS  153 

together  with  a  thread  also  of  fish  skin.  Many  of 
these  garments  of  ornate  appearance  are  in  the 
museums  of  this  country. 

W  a  1  rus  hides 
are  so  excessively 
thick  and  heavy 
']   that  it  is  out  of 
|  t  h  e  question  to 
work   them   ex- 
icept    in    regular 
tanneries.      The 
largest     sides 

WALRUS    LEATHER  weigh    18Q   to  200 

pounds  each  and  are  li/i>  to  2  inches  thick.    They 
are  used  almost  altogether  for  metal  polishing  or 
buffing  wheels  and  sell  for  from  30  cents  to  $1.25 
per  pound  by  the  side  for  that  purpose. 

________          Heavy  sea  lion 

I     -  ^  /'     £*      /     |[  hides  can  be  used 

f     I     \  I  in  the  same  way  ; 

f  I  the  light  ones  are 

]>  r  ep  a  r  ed  like 
y  H  seal  leather.    All 

the  fur  seals  and 
r      some  of  the  hair 
I  I          I       I      seal    skin  s   are 

dressed  about  as 


SEA-LION    LEATHER 


are.     The  greatest  change  in  their  appearance 
being  due  to  the  dyemg  process. 


154  HOME  MANUFACTURE  OF  FURS 

The  hair  seal  leather  on  account  of  its  at- 
tractive grain  is  in  great  demand  for  pocket 
books,  bags  and  similar  uses.  Much  of  it  is  used 
for  shoe  uppers.  In  tanning  the  process  is  very 

much  the  same 
as  for  alligator 
leather  after  the 
unhairing.  Dye- 
ing and  in  some 
cases  an  enameJ 
or  "patent"  fin- 
ish is  given  it. 
The  hair  seal 
skins  dressed  in 

SEAL    LEATHER  ^  fup  ^  mogfc. 

ly  of  very  young  animals,  less  than  fifteen  days 
old,  known  as  "wool  seals"  and  forming  but  a 
small  percentage  of  the  650,000  skins  constitut- 
ing the  approximate  annual  catch  in  the  North 
Atlantic  around  Newfoundland.  The  rest  are 
manufactured  into  leather. 

Skins  of  the  Atlantic  porpoise  are  treated 
much  the  same  as  cow  hides  in  making  leather, 
it  being  necessary  to  reduce  their  thickness  by 
splitting.  It  makes  remarkably  "easy"  shoes 
owing  to  its  tractibility  or  stretching  qualities, 
also  outlasting  several  pairs  of  calf  skin  shoes. 
The  price  of  the  green  "sides"  is  about  $2.00 
each  and  when  tanned  $10  or  $12. 


MISCELLANEOUS  SKINS  155 

The  skin  of  the  beluga  or  white  whale  known 
as  "porpoise"  leather  is  much  stronger  and  more 
durable  than  bona  fide  porpoise,  and  on  account 
of  its  size  is  particularly  adapted  to  making  ma- 
chine belts.  A  single  skin  has  furnished  a  con- 
tinuous piece  eighteen  inches  wide  and  sixty  feet 
long. 


SKIN  .OF    WATER    SNAKE 

The  skins  of  frogs  and  toads  possess  a  deli- 
cate grain  but  are  little  used  in  America.  A  few 
factories  in  France  pay  especial  attention  to 
tanning  raw  skins  from  Africa,  Brazil  and  other 
tropical  countries. 


156  HOME  MANUFACTURE  OF  FURS 

Snake  skins  are  sometimes  made  into  leather 
for  bags,  cardcases  and  such  small  articles,  but 
the  largest  demand  is  probably  for  dressing  and 
manufacturing  souvenirs  and  trophies.  They  are 
rather  difficult  and  uncertain  in  working,  vary- 
ing in  thickness  and  substance,  according  to  the 
"ength  of  time  since  the  last  shedding  or  slough- 
ing of  the  skin.  This  is  popularly  supposed  to 
,ake  place  once  each  year,  but  really  it  depends 
*^J  how  well  the  snake  is  living.  Specimens  well 
ied  and  cared  for  at  Zoological  Gardens  have  been 
known  to  shed  several  times  in  one  season.  So 
-metimes  the  skin  of  a  very  large  and  old  snake 
»  very  thin  and  papery,  being  but  a  few  days  or 
hours  old  perhaps.  They  should  be  heavily  salt- 
ed or  packed  in  salt  as  advised  for  alligator 
'aides,  after  skinning.  We  have  had  very  fair 
results  in  using  the  oxalic  pickle  for  snake  skins, 
but  all  the  smaller  ones  must  be  handled  care- 
fully. 

As  in  the  case  of  fish  skins  the  scales  should 
i>e  scraped  off,  as  it  is  impossible  to  make  a  flex- 
ible leather  and  retain  them.  After  tanning  and 
softening  them,  the  scale  side  is  polished  with 
smooth  but  not  hot  irons  and  sometimes  rubbed 
with  a  weak  solution  of  gum  arabic  or  white 
shellac,  say  l1/^  ounces  gum  to  a  pint  of  water 
or  the  same  amount  of  shellac  in  a  pint  of  alco- 
hol. The  skins  of  rattlers,  water  and  other  small 


MISCELLANEOUS  SKINS 


157 


snakes  are  frequently  wanted  made  into  belts, 
hat  bands,  and  other  useful  (?)  and  ornamental 
articles  by  vacationists. 

For  these  purposes  they  should  be  mounted 
or  cemented  on  a  backing  of  more  durable  lea- 


V 


BETTER    BOX,    MOUNTED    WITH    SHARK    SKIN,    GARFISH 
SKIN,    AND    MOTHER-OF-PEARL 


ther.  A  mode  of  tanning  used  in  France  but 
which  we  have  never  tested  is  as  follows :  Soak 
ai  least  ten  days  in  water  containing  enough  sul- 
phate of  zinc  to  prevent  putrifaction. 
scrape,  wash  and  puw  in 


158  HOME  MANUFACTURE  OF  FURS 

BATH  NO.   1. 

100  parts Water 

10  parts  Boracic  Acid 

2y2  parts    Tartaric  Acid 

1  part   Borax 

Precipitated  Alumina  enough  for  a  satur- 
ated solution,  or  as  much  as  the  liquid  will  dis- 
solve.   After  twenty-four  hours  transfer  to 

BATH  NO.  2 

100  parts Water 

5  parts Glycerine 

21/2  parts.  .Benzoate  of  Aluminum 
2i/2  parts Prosphate  of  Zinc 

2  parts   Alcohol 

Leave  in  this  twenty-four  hours  then  to  No. 

1,  continue  this  program  for  five  or  six  days  until 
tanning  is  completed,  then  dry  out,  stake  lightly 
and  finish. 

Bird  skins  are  usually  cleaned  of  flesh  and 
fat  after  dampening  the  skin  only  and  a  preser- 
vative applied  as  a  paste  or  powder.  When  this 
has  had  time  to  act  the  entire  skin,  feathers  and 
all,  is  given  a  gasoline  bath  and  dried  out  with 
sawdust  or  in  the  case  of  white  feathers,  meal, 
farina  flour  or  even  gypsum. 

Swan  or  duck  skins  wanted  in  the  down 
should  have  the  stiff  feathers  plucked  out  before 


MISCELLANEOUS  SKINS 


159 


the  tanning.  This  plucking  must  be  done  care- 
fuly  by  hand.  To  free  from  rust  or  gypsum,  beat 
gingerly  and  hold  in  a  blast  of  compressed  air 
such  as  is  used  to  inflate  tires. 


SKIN  OF  BEAVER  TAIL  AXD  JEWEL  BOX  COVERED 
THEREWITH 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

FUR  DYEING — USES  AND  PRINCIPLES. 

THE  dyeing  of  fur  skins  is  an  ancient  art, 
but  the  present  generation  has  brought  it 
to  such  a  state  of  perfection  that,  in 
many  cases  no  one  but  an  expert  can  tell  when 
skins  have  been  touched  to  deepen  or  change  their 
color. 

In  this  as  in  the  dressing,  different  countries 
seem  to  have  their  specialties.  The  English  have 
long  been  successful  in  seal  dyeing,  the  Germans 
specialize  in  coloring  black,  the  French  use  most- 
ly vegetable  dyes  which  are  not  so  permanent, 
perhaps,  but  do  not  reduce  the  quality  of  the 
skins  so  much.  The  Chinaman  with  all  his  in- 
genuity is  usually  a  poor  dyer  of  furs. 

Notwithstanding  the  antiquity  of  the  art  of 
fur  dyeing,  its  principal  development,  in  America 
and  Europe  at  least,  has  been  within  the  last  fifty 
years.  Skilled  and  conscientious  chemists  have 
by  experiment  succeeded  in  greatly  improving 
the  permanency  of  the  dyes  and  lessening  their 
injurious  effect  on  skins.  The  composition  of  the 
newest  dyes  and  the  methods  of  using  them  are 
seldom  available. 

160 


FUR  DYEING — USES  AND  PRINCIPLES  161 

The  number  of  successful  fur  dyers  is  com- 
paratively small,  aud  as  their  prosperity  depends 
to  a  considerable  extent  on  lack  of  competition 
they  are  not  publishing  what  is  frequently  the 
result  of  long  and  costly  experiments. 

Confronted  with  the  condition  of  a  decreas- 
ing supply  and  an  increasing  demand,  the  fur 
trade  has  sought  to  prevent  high  prices,  by  popu- 
larizing the  use  of  furs  which  were  formerly  con- 
sidered of  little  value.  A  large  part  of  this  work 
devolves  on  the  dressers  and  dyers  who  can  ren- 
der s-tilf  ]u'lts  more  supple  and  change  the  color  of 
the  fur  to  ivsemble  that  of  others  animals.  When 
the  dressers  and  dyers  produced  a  clipped  and 
dyed  muskrat  skin  that  resembled  sealskin  al- 
most perfectly  it  was  found  that  it  would  not  sell 
under  its  real  name,  because  it  was  a  common 
fur,  used  largely  by  the  poorer  classes.  Conse- 
quently a  name  was  invented  for  it  and  this  popu- 
lar fur  is  now  sold  as  "Hudson  Bay  seal."  The 
fur  of  the  coney  or  rabbit,  a  very  cheap  and  com- 
mon animal  in  France,  is  the  raw  material  for 
producing  "electric  sealskin,"  "clipped  seal,"  and 
"Baltic  seal."  Raccoon,  when  first  introduced, 
was  cheap  and  in  little  demand,  but  when  given 
the  name  "Alaska  bear"  and  "silver  bear"  it  im- 
mediately came  into  favor.  Skunk,  which  is  an 
excellent  natural  black  fur,  though  beautiful  and 
durable,  could  not  be  sold  as  skunk,  but  as  "black 


RED,    CROSS,    SILVER    FOX    SKINS 

Red  on  left,  value  few  dollars;  middle  is  a  Cross  worth  three  times 
as  much  as  the  Red ;  last,  or  skin  on  right,  Silver,  worth  ten  times 
as  much  as  the  Cross  and  thirty  times  as  much  as  the  Red.  This 
explains  why  Skins  are  Dyed  and"  Blended.  (Photo  from  "Fur  Buyer*' 
Guide,"  which  explains  value  of  these  skins.) 

162 


FUR  DYEING— USES  AND  PRINCIPLES  163 

marten"  and  "Alaska  sable''  it  is  in  high  favor 
and  likely  to  remain  in  the  tlass  of  medium  and 
high  priced  furs. 

Now  that  the  prejudice  against  muskrat, 
skunk,  and  other  cheap  furs  has  been  overcome 
they  can  be  sold  under  their  real  names.  Musk- 
rat  furs  in  the  natural  color  are  now  sold  as  such 
at  about  the  same  figures  as  the  dyed  product. 
The  pressure  of  increasing  demand  has  brought 
into  common  use  the  fur  of  animals  with  harsh, 
brittle  hair  which  are  treated  and  sold  under 
names  which  mislead  the  general  public. 

The  pelts  of  animals  such  as  the  goat,  lamb, 
dog,  marmot,  pony,  opossum,  raccoon,  jackal, 
monkey,  otter  and  others  from  the  warmer  zones 
of  America,  Asia  and  Africa  are  now  worked  up 
by  dressers  and  dyers  into  quite  respectable  ap- 
pearing furs.  They  are  much  inferior  to  furs 
from  colder  climates,  however,  lacking  the  close 
underfur,  the  long  and  silky  overhair  and  the 
suppleness  of  leather.  The  dyeing  also  lessens 
their  durability. 

As  much  as  thirty  years  ago  the  misnaming 
of  furs  was  under  the  ban  of  the  law  in  England 
and  if  necessary  then,  how  much  more  so  at  the 
present  time  when  two  hares  from  the  same  litter 
may  be  sold  at  the  same  counter  as  "white  fox" 
and  "black  lynx."  The  following  is  a  list  of  some 
of  the  most  common  misdescriptions : 


164  HOME  MANUFACTURE  OF  FURS 

VARIETY  SOLD  FOR 

American  Sable Russian  Sable 

Fitch,  dyed   Sable 

Goal,  dyed    Bear 

Hare,  dyed Lynx  or  Fox 

Kid Lamb  or  Broadtail 

Marmot,  dyed Mink,  Sable 

Mink,  dyed Sable 

Muskrat,  dyed Mink  or  Sable 

Mnskrat,  dyed  and  plucked, 

Seal,  Hudson  Bay  Seal,  Ked  River  Seal 
Nutria,  plucked  and  dyed, 

Seal,  Hudson  Bay  Seal,  Red  River  Seal 

Nutria,  plucked  natural Beaver,  Otter 

Opossum,  dyed    Skunk 

Opossum,sheared  and  dyed Beaver 

Otter,  dyed  and  plucked Seal 

Rabbit,  dyed French  Sable 

Rabbit,  sheared  and  dyed, 

Seal,  Electric  Seal,  Hudson  Bay  Seal,  etc. 

Rabbit,  white Ermine 

Rabbit,  white,  dyed   Chinchilla 

Wallaby,  dyed Skunk 

White  Hare  Fox 

Angora  Iceland  Fox 

Fox,  Sables,  White  Hairs  inserted. Natural  Furs 


PUR  DYEING — USES  AND  PRINCIPLES  165 

The  London  Chamber  of  Commerce  has  pub- 
lished the  following-  list  of  what  it  sanctions  as 
permissible  descriptions : 

NAME  OF  FUR  PERMISSIBLE  DESCRIPTION 

American  Sable Canadian  or  Real  Sable 

Fitch,  dyed Sable  Fitch 

Goat,  dyed   Bear  Goat 

Hare,  dyed Sable  Hare  or  Fox  Hare 

Kids Karakule  Kids 

Marmot,  dyed.  .Sable  Marmot,  Mink  Marmot,  or 

Skunk  Marmot 

Mink,  dyed Sable  Mink 

Muskrat,  plucked  and  dyed Seal  Muskrat 

Nutria,  plucked  and  dyed Seal  Nutria 

Nutria,  plucked,  natural, 

Beaver  Nutria,  or  Otter  Nutria 
Opossum,  sheared  and  dyed .  .  .  Beaver  Opossum 

Opossum,  dyed Skunk  Opossum 

Otter,  plucked  and  dj-ed Seal  Otter 

Rabbit,  dyed Sable  Coney 

Rabbit,  sheared  and  dyed, 

Seal  Coney  or  Muskrat  Coney 

Rabbit,  white Mock  Ermine 

Rabbit,  white,  dyed Chinchilla  Coney 

Wallaby,  dyed Skunk  Wallaby 

White  Hare Imitation  Fox 

Foxes,  Sable,  white  Hairs  inserted, 

Pointed  Fox  or  Sable 


166  HOME  MANUFACTURE  OF  FURS 

Reliable  furriers  seldom  make  use  of  such 
misdescriptive  terms,  though  many  of  the  smaller 
furriers  are  undoubtedly  ignorant  of  the  real 
names  of  their  stock.  The  greatest  offenders  are 
probably  the  cheap  advertisers  and  sellers  of 
furs  in  connection  with  other  businesses.  Dyeing 
has  a  very  legitimate  use  in  obtaining  those 
shades  which  have  been  determined  by  taste  and 
fashion  to  be  the  most  desirable  for  any  particu- 
lar species  of  fur. 

The  matter  of  natural  coloration  determines 
to  a  great  degree  the  value  of  raw  skins.  In  fur 
dyeing  either  the  ends  of  the  fur  and  hair  may 
be  tinted  or  the  color  of  the  entire  skin  may  be 
changed.  The  first  process,  called  blending,  is 
chiefly  used  to  make  all  pieces  of  fur  used  in  a 
garment  of  the  same  color  or  to  remedy  minor 
defects1.  Some  furs  closely  resemble  choicer  ones 
in  every  respect  except  color,  and  these  are  fre- 
quently dyed  throughout  with  the  proper  shade 
and  thus  become  to  the  casual  observer  almost 
indistinguishable  from  the  genuine. 

While  dyeing  may  be  a  cheap  and  ready  pro- 
cess in  the  treatment  of  low  priced  furs,  it  be- 
comes an  art  when  applied  to  choice  skins.  Its 
perfection  consists  in  the  exact  imitation  of  the 
proper  color  and  shade,  with  the  preservation  of 
the  glossiness  of  the  fur,  the  firmness  and  pliabil- 
ity of  the  leather,  and  above  all  the  durability  of 
the  dve. 


FUR  DYliiXG — USES  AND  PRINCIPLES  167 

The  processes  of  fur  dyeing'  are  usually  quite 
different  from  those  in  general  use  on  textiles, 
principally  on  account  of  the  deleterious  effect 
of  very  hot  liquids  on  tawed  skins,  for  furs  are 
with  very  few  exceptions  dyed  after  dressing. 

Considerable  experiment  will  be  necessary  to 
secure  even  a  moderate  degree  of  success,  and  it 
should  not  be  necessary  to  caution  the  beginners 
to  confine  their  initial  efforts  to  pieces  of  fur  of 
little  value.  Some  knowledge  of  blending  is  a 
great  aid  in  repair  work,  as*  worn  and  faded  furs 
may  be  furbished  up  to  a  respectable  appearance 
for  their  remaining  years  of  service. 

The  leather  of  most  skins  dressed  or  tanned 
for  furs  is  either  white  or  of  a  light  brown  color, 
and  to  find  furs  with  the  leather  colored  either 
brown  or  black  was  considered  prima  facie  evi- 
dence of  dyed  furs.  This  test  is  not  infallible  by 
any  means,  however,  as  skins  with  light  colored 
leather  may  have  been  top  dyed  or  blended  by 
brushing  dye  on  the  end  of  the  fur  only. 

On  the  other  hand,  some  natural  black  furs 
may  have  the  leather  only  colored  to  prevent  its 
being  too  conspicuous  in  places  where  the  fur  is 
thin  or  is  likely  to  be  brushed  or  blown  apart. 
Skunk  and  bear  are  often  treated  so. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

DYEING  MATERIAL  AND  APPLIANCES. 

THE  dyeing  of  furs  is,  on  account  of  the 
diversity  of  skins  and  their  preparation, 
always  more  or  less  a  matter  for  experi- 
ment in  individual  cases.  The  dyes  commonly 
used  for  dyeing  whole  skins  were  until  a  com- 
paratively recent  time,  what  are  known  as  mor- 
dant dyes.  In  this  process  the  various  com- 
pounds of  chrome,  iron  and  alumina  used  form 
a  deposit  of  oxide  of  the  metal  on  the  fibres  and 
this  combining  with  the  coloring  matter,  forms 
together  an  insoluble  colored  body  or  fast  dye. 

The  certain  color  developed,  thus  depends 
somewhat  on  the  mordant  as  well  as  the  coloring 
matter  used.  The  mordanting  may  be  done  either 
before  or  after  the  dyeing.  Some  coloring  mat- 
ters will  not  dye  unmordanted  material,  others 
such  as  the  vegetable,  fustic  and  logwoods,  and 
some  of  the  coaltar  colors  may  be  applied  first 
and  then  fixed  by  treatment  with  a  mordant. 

The  special  fur  dyes  producing  the  best  re- 
sults are  known  as  oxidation  colors,  called  Ur- 
sols.  The  chief  advantage  in  the  use  of  these  is 
the  low  temperatures  at  which  they  may  be  used, 

168 


170  HOME  MANUFACTURE  OF  FURS 

the  ordinary  aualiue  and  vegetable  dyes  being 
hardly  permanent  except  they  are  used  at  a  de- 
gree of  heat  damaging  to  the  leather.  Skins  may 
he  dyed  cither  by  immersing  or  dipping  or  by 
brushing  the  fur  only  with  the  proper  solution. 

Probably  the  most  useful  to  the  amateur,  the 
repairer  and  fur  worker  on  a  small  scale,  are  the 
dyes  ready  prepared  in  liquid  form,  which  are 
put  up  in  quantities  of  a  pint  and  upwards. 
These  are  accompanied  by  full  directions  for 
their  use. 

The  most  used  of  vegetable  dye  stuffs  for 
furs  is  probably  logwood,  either  in  the  form  of 
chips  or  the  solid  extract.  It  produces  black 
and  gray  shades.  Gum  catechu  for  brown  on 
sheep  and  goat  skins  especially.  The  fancy 
bright  colors  used  on  sheep's  wool  mats,  etc.,  are 
to  be  had  from  the  ready  prepared  dyes  such  as 
are  used  for  all  wool  fabrics. 

There  are  a  few  utensils  which  should  be  at 
hand,  especially  suitable  earthen  jars  or  dishes 
for  the  dye  baths.  Some  of  the  solutions  may  be 
partly  mixed  in  advance  and  combined  at  the 
time  of  using.  Glass  or  earthenware  jugs,  jars 
w  bottles  should  be  used  for  this  purpose.  Scales 
like  those  used  for  weighing  photographic  chemi- 
cals as  well  as  larger  ones,  and  liquid  measures 
in  the  form  of  large  metal  and  small  glass  gradu- 
ates will  be  needed  for  compounding  dyes.  A 


171 


172  HOME  MANUFACTURE  OF  FURS 

thermometer  similar  to  those  used  by  the  pho- 
tographer may  be  used  to  take  the  temperature 
of  dye  baths. 

A  number  of  brushes  for  glazing  or  wetting 
the  furs,  others  for  applying  dye,  known  as  dye- 
ing and  striping  brushes.  A  pair  of  rubber 
gloves  will  be  needed  if  the  operator  is  particular 
as  to  the  appearance  of  the  hands,  and  in  all 
cases  care  should  be  used  in  handling  the  solu- 
tions, as  many  of  them  are  quite  poisonous.  To 
prevent  bad  effects  on  those  handling  the  dyed 
furs  they  should  be  thoroughly  rinsed  and  in 
some  cases  drummed  with  absorbents  to  remove 
any  loose  dye  material  after  the  coloring  is  com 
pleted. 

The  "fixing"  or  mordant  materials  are  var- 
ious; diluted  acetic  acid,  alum,  cream  of  tartar, 
copper  sulphate,  sulphate  of  iron,  bichlorate  of 
potash,  and  acetate  of  lead  being  among  them. 

With  the  Ursol  dyes  are  used  peroxide  of 
hydrogen  and  pyrogallic  acid  to  produce  the 
proper  oxidation. 

The  proper  amount  of  solution  for  various 
skins  may  be  arrived  at  approximately  only.  To 
dip  a  skin  the  size  of  an  ordinary  opossum  will 
require  about  a  quart,  a  raccoon  twice  that,  and 
other  skins  in  proportion  to  their  size.  In  dip- 
ping skins  they  should  be  entirely  submerged 


DYEING  MATERIAL  AND  APPLIANCES 


173 


and  a  dish  should  be  provided  which  will  allow 
of  their  being  spread  out  flat  and  even. 

All  skins  dipped  in  various  coloring  solu- 
tions must  be  again  softened  after  drying.  In 
some  cases  a  regular  re- 
tanning  may  be  neces- 
sary. Usually  a  damping, 
staking  and  oiling  of  the 
leather  will  be  sufficient, 
especially  if  the  dye  has 
been  applied  at  a  low  tem- 
perature. Logwood  dye 
requires  considerable 
time  at  100  degrees  or 
over,  while  the  Ursol  dyes 
work  at  about  80  degrees 
F.  This  may  be  called, 
comparatively,  cold  dye- 
ing, and  when  brushed 
on,  the  skin  proper  is  af- 
fected little  if  at  all  by 
the  application. 

Most  of  the  dyes  manu- 
factured for  coloring  tex- 
tiles must  be  applied  at  a 
high  temperature.  In 
many  cases  an  immersion 
at  the  boiling  point  for 
some  time  is  ro'-essary.  This  makes  them  in- 


STRTP  OF  RACCOON 
FUR 

Top  Part  Dyed  Dark 
Brown ;  Central  Part  Na- 
tural;  Lower  Part  Blended. 


174  HOME  MANUFACTURE  OF  FURS 

applicable  to  the  treatment  of  furs,  as  the  skins 
would  become  partially  dissolved  by  any  such 
method.  Sheep  skins  are  sometimes  dyed  with 
these  colors,  by  fastening  them  on  boards  or 
frames  and  allowing  the  wool  alone  to  come  in 
direct  contact  with  the  hot  liquid.  The  success- 
ful dyer  must  be  a  practical  chemist,  at  least  to 
some  extent,  and  we  cannot  pretend  to  go  into 
the  details  of  such  a  business  in  this  book. 

What  are  given  here  are  hints  to  help  the  fur 
worker  on  a  small  scale,  the  repair  man,  etc.  To 
such  purposes  the  simplest  processes  and  those 
requiring  the  least  apparatus  are  best  adapted. 
In  making  and  altering  furs,  light  or  worn  places 
must  be  cut  out  and  replaced,  unless  the  mate- 
rials are  at  hand  to  touch  up  and  darken  them. 

Furs  that  are  becoming  faded  and  "springy" 
are  graded  down  by  the  buyers,  though  just  as 
warm  as  they  ever  were.  They  know  that  it  will 
be  necessary  to  have  them  dyed  before  they  are 
used  and  cut  their  prices  to  allow  for  it. 

Especially  is  it  desirable  to  be  prepared  to 
at  least  blend  or  darken  the  top  hair  when  doing 
small  jobs  of  custom  work.  This  is  on  account 
of  the  limited  number  of  skins  you  will  have  to 
select  from.  The  contrast  would  be  too  much  be- 
tween the  lightest  and  darkest  of  a  small  lot,  to 
look  well,  made  up  together. 


DYKING.  MATERIAL  AND  APPLIANCES  175 

It  sounds  like  an  easy  matter  to  ttye  a  goat 
so  as  to  resemble  bear,  or  tc  counterfeit  skunk 
with  opossum,  but  it  is  just  as  easy  to  ruin  a  skin 
entirely  or  produce  a  color  which  no  furred  ani- 
mal on  land  or  sea  ever  had.  Experiment  alone 
can  determine  just  what  results  may  be  looked 
for.  Even  the  minerals  contained  in  the  water 
used  in  dyeing  or  tanning  are  liable  to  affect  the 
results. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

COLORS  AND   FORMULAS 

OF  course  a  fur  can  be  dyed  some  color 
darker  than  that  which  it  naturally  pos- 
sesses. A  few  varieties  are  bleached  to 
obtain  lighter  shades,  but  this  is  done  infrequent- 
ly nowadays. 

There  is  at  present  a  fad  for  blue  furs  in 
imitation  of  the  so-called  blue,  or  more  properly 
sooty  fox.  Light  gray  furs  and  white  ones  blem- 
ished by  a  yellowish  cast  are  used  for  this  pur- 
pose. Almost  all  other  colors  used  are  some 
shades  of  brown  or  black.  These  added  to  the 
natural  coloring  of  the  furs  produce  a  bewilder- 
ing variety. 

In  the  case  of  the  fur  seal,  for  instance. 
fashion  has  decided  that  the  color  shall  be 
changed  to  a  lustrous  blackish-brown,  resembling 
no  original  color  whatever,  in  the  animal  king- 
dom. 

The  most  desirable  shades  of  brown  are  the 
dark  brown,  the  reddish  and  golden  browns. 
Blacks  are  sought  for  in  dead  and  blue  blacks. 
Beaver,  otter  and  similar  furs  are  sometimes 

176 


PALE     RACCOON     DRESSED,     BLENDED     DARK     GROUND, 

SCALP  TRIMMED   OFF   FOR  MOUNTING.      (Gottlieb   Dyes) 

(This  is  same  skin  as  shown  on  page  109  in  the  raw) 

177 


178  HOME  MANUFACTURE  OF  FURS 

"silvered"  by  brushing  lightly  with  a  solution  of 
acid  or  made  a  golden  yellow  by  an  application 
of  peroxide  of  hydrogen. 

One  firm  which  makes  a  specialty  of  ready 
prepared  dyes  and  other  preparations  for  furriers 
use,  lists  about  thirty  products  for  dyeing,  besides 
prepared  cleaners,  bleaches,  leather  colors,  etc. 
These  are  especially  adapted  to  be  used  in  a  small 
way,  with  economy,  as  they  do  away  with  com- 
pounding and  keeping  chemicals  which  are  liable 
to  deteriorate. 

BLEACHING    FURS. 

Make  a  solution  of  soda  and  water  in  the 
proportion  of  two  ounces  of  soda  to  one  quart 
water.  Immerse  in  this  two  hours,  wring  and 
put  in  a  bath  of  peroxide  hydrogen  and  water 
equal  parts.  Leave  in  for  ten  or  twelve  hours, 
remove  and  dry  in  the  sun  or  by  gentle  stove 
heat.  Shake  out  and  comb.  If  not  sufficiently 
bleached  repeat  the  peroxide  bath,  as  it  is  the 
bleaching  agent.  If  the  top  fur  only  is  wanted 
bleached,  brush  it  with  soda  water,  one  ounce  to 
the  quart  of  water.  Let  it  lie  all  day  and  dry, 
J^en  beat  it  out  and  brush  with  peroxide  with  no 
water  added.  Let  lie  over  night  and  dry  in  the 
sun  if  possible.  Beat  and  comb  afterwards,  of 
course. 


COLORS  AND  FORMULAS  179 

GOLDEN  BROWN  ON  PLUCKED  FURS. 

Apply  a  mixture  of  one  fluid  ounce  of  nitric 
acid  and  twice  as  much  water  to  the  fur  only, 
with  a  brush.  Use  care  not  to  apply  too  much  at 
one  time,  do  not  let  it  penetrate  to  or  touch  the 
pelt  or  it  will  be  burned.  Use  a  brush  of  vege- 
table fibre.  When  brushed  all  over  lay  in  the  sun 
or  in  gentle  stove  heat  to  dry.  If  of  an  even  color, 
sponge  off  the  fur  with  clear  water  to  remove  the 
acid  and  dry  again.  If  it  should  show  spots  when 
dry  after  one  application  of  the  acid  solution, 
brush  it  again  with  it  before  washing. 

To  color  sheep  mats  the  bright  shades  they 
are  commonly  seen  in,  the  common  package  dyes 
for  sale  at  drug  stores  are  sufficient,  and  they 
should  have  with  each  package  directions  how  to 
apply  and  what  mordants  to  use  in  order  to  make 
the  colors  fast.  These  as  well  as  some  appended 
formulas,  call  for  a  considerable  degree  of  heat, 
so  it  may  be  well  to  keep  the  skin  itself  from 
much  contact  with  the  hot  liquor  by  fastening  it 
on  boards  or  frames  and  immersing  the  wool  only. 
Sheepskin  is  none  too  durable  at  best. 

BLACK  FOR  SHEEPSKINS. 

Boil  five  pounds  logwood  chips  in  one  gallon 
water;  when  cooled  to  about  12  degrees,  put  the 
skin  in  and  let  it  remain  an  hour  or  two.  Re- 


180  HOME  MANUFACTURE  OF  FURS 

move,  wash  in  cold  water  and  hang  up  to  dry 
until  next  day.  Then  prepare  a  fixing  bath  or 
mordant  by  boiling  twelve  ounces  copperas,  two 
ounces  blue  stone  or  sulphate  of  copper  and  six- 
teen ounces  cream  of  tartar  in  one  gallon  of 
water,  while  this  is  still  hot  (about  the  same  as 
the  dye  way  used)  put  the  skin  in  for  two  hours. 
Remove,  wash  in  cold  water  and  hang  up  to  dry. 

BROWN  COLOR. 

One  pound  catechu  in  one  gallon  of  water 
and  to  fix,  y2  pound  sulphate  of  copper  in  one 
gallon  water.  If  the  color  is  not  deep  enough 
repeat  the  entire  process.  Of  course  the  skins 
must  be  thoroughly  cleaned  before  attempting  to 
color  them. 

COLORING  SHEEP  SKINS.   (WOOL  ON). 

ORANGE. 

For  each  skin  one  ounce  picric  acid,  dissolve 
in  enough  water  to  cover  the  skin. 

MAGENTA. 

Put  y2  ounce  magenta  crystals  in  sufficient 
water  to  cover  the  skin.  Dissolve  these  colors  in 
a  quart  or  two  of  boiling  water  and  add  enough 
more  to  make  the  required  quantity.  It  should 
not  be  warmer  than  hands  can  be  held  in  com- 


COLORS  AND  FORMULAS  181 

fortabty.  Leave  the  skin  in  the  solution  until  a 
good  color  is  bad,  tben  remove  and  set  the  color 
by  dipping  in  about  the  same  amount  of  water, 
to  which  a  pint  of  vinegar  or  alcohol  has  been 
added. 

While  drying  shake  and  rub  them  to  prevent 
hardening.  In  fact,  work  them  much  as  in  the 
softening  after  tawing.  It  is  well  to  experiment 
on  waste  pieces  of  skins  before  going  ahead  with 
any  amount,  as  this  will  give  an  opportunity  to 
change  the  proportions  of  the  dye. 

Goat  skins  are  treated  much  the  same  as 
sheep ;  some  recommend  using  the  mordant  first 
in  their  case.  A  general  "iile  seems  to  be  that  the 
hotter  the  dye  the  shorter  immersion  necessary. 

The  Ursols  which  have  been  mentioned  be- 
fore as  being  much  used  in  fur  dyeing,  are  some- 
times difficult  to  procure.  They  come  in  a  solid 
state  and  are  to  be  dissolved  in  boiling  water. 
When  using  them  the  color  develops  on  the  fur 
by  oxidation,  from  treatment  with  peroxide  of 
hydrogen,  bichromate  and  permanganate  of  pot- 
ash, etc.  These  are  sometimes  applied  as  a  mor- 
dant before  dyeing  or  mixed  with  the  ursol  solu- 
tion. The  great  advantage  of  these  materials  is 
that  with  them  furs  may  be  dyed  in  a  cold  or  at 
most  tepid  bath  and  produce  fast  browns  and 
blacks  of  all  shades.  The  manufacturers  of  the 
ursols  give  a  few  general  directions  for  their  use. 


182  HOME  MANUFACTURE  OF  FURS 

BLACKS    AND    BROWNS. 

For  blacks  the  products  known  as  Ursol  D., 
D.  D.  and  D.  B.  are  used  while  P.  and  2  G.  pro- 
duces brown.  P.  produces  a  reddish  brown  and 
2  G.  a  yellowish  brown,  D.  a  dead  black,  D.  1).  a 
blue  black  and  D.  B.  a  blue  black  with  bluesli 
tone  predominating.  Combinations  of  these  with 
the  proper  oxidizing  agents  will  produce  a  great 
variety  of  shades.  Hydrogen  peroxide  is  most 
commonly  used  in  combination  with  these  dyes. 

When  using  chromate  of  potash  in  a  mordant 
precious  to  dyeing,  hydrogen  peroxide  in  the  pro- 
portion of  about  l/3  pint  to  each  !/>  ounce  of  ursol 
should  be  used  and  about  three  times  that  amount 
of  peroxide  where  a  chrome  mordant  is  not  used. 
A  solution  of  chloride  of  lime  may  be  substituted 
for  the  peroxide  where  brown  shades  are  wanted. 

In  mixing  ursol  dyes,  do  as  already  described 
in  coloring  sheep  skins,  dissolve  in  a  small  quan- 
tity of  boiling  water  then  add  cooler  to  make  up 
the  desired  amount. 

Some  varieties  of  fur  are  very  resistant  to 
dye  material,  especially  wiry,  bristly  hairs. 
These  have  to  be  treated  with  alkali  compounds 
or  "killed."  Lime  powder  is  much  used  for  this 
purpose  in  company  with  other  substances.  After 
"killing"  or  brushing  with  these  solutions,  furs 
should  be  dried  and  beaten  to  free  them  from  the 
lime  dust. 


183 


184  HOME  MANUFACTURE  OF  FURS 

A  common  form  of  killing  is  made  of 

11/2  oz Powdered  Lime 

1/3  oz Soda 

1       oz Litharge 

1.1/2  oz Copperas 

Dissolved  in  a  quart  of  boiling  water. 
Add  the  !ime  last  and  the  soda  before  it. 
Another  is  the  same  amount  of  lime  and  copperas 
with  %  ounces  of  alum,  Sol"i"'r«iis  of  soda  alone 
of  varying  strength,  from  2  to  0  ounces  to  the 
quart  of  water  are  used  for  the  same  pi;  "pose. 

Different  furs  require  different  treatment 
Angora  goat,  for  instiiace,  is  said  to  dye  a  good 
black  without  any  mordant  by  using  a  solution 
of  %  oz.  Ursol  D.  and  a  pint  of  peroxide  in  two 
gallons  of  water.  The  dye  stuff  should  be  at  a 
temperature  of  75  to  85  degrees,  and  a  twelve 
hour  immersion  is  needed.  Furs  will  generally 
take  a  black  by  immersing  for  12  hours  in  a  mor- 
dant of 

Water 2  gal. 

Bichromate  Potash y2  oz. 

Sulphate  of  Copper 14  oz. 

This  should  be  at  about  75  degrees  when  the 
skins  are  put  in,  and  on  removal  rinse  and  dye 
with 

Ursol  D i/2  oz. 

Peroxide  of  Hydrogen %  pt. 

in  2  gal.  water. 


COLORS  AND  FORMULAS  185 

The  duration  and  temperature  of  the  bath 
should  be  as  before  given.  For  merely  tipping 
furs  a  much  stronger  solution  is  applied  to  the 
upper  hair  only  with  a  brush.  Make  this  solu- 
tion from  4  to  8  times  as  strong  and  let  skins 
brushed  or  tipped  lie  several  hours  or  over  night 
fur  side  together  before  drying.  Furs  like  opos- 
sum and  raccoon  will  need  to  be  brushed  with 
killing  so  the  tip  dye  will  take.  In  using  P.  and 
2  (i.  use  ammonia  at  the  rate  of  y%  to  %  fluid  oz. 
to  the  gallon  of  water  and  produce  the  darker 
shades  of  brown  by  adding  D.  in  varying 
amounts. 

A  reddish  brown  is  secured  after  using  the 
chrome  mordant  by  applying: 

P Vs  oz. 

Peroxide  of  Hydrogen 1/4  pt. 

Ammonia %  to  %  oz. 

in  2  gal.  water. 

For  darker  browns  use  twice  as  much  am- 
monia and  fours  times  as  much  peroxide  with 
y%  oz.  each  of  D.  and  2  G.  and  1  oz.  P.  in  the 
usual  quantity  of  water.  No  set  rules  can  be 
given  by  even  the  expert  dyer  or  chemist,  every- 
thing being  dependent  on  the  condition  of  the 
skins  to  be  colored. 

The  Ursols  may  be  made  up  in  solution  with- 
out the  addition  of  the  oxidizing  agents  and  so 


186  HOME  MANUFACTURE  OF  FURS 

kept  for  use  or  experiment,  mixing  small  quanti- 
ties as  needed.  It  is  probably  best  to  begin  with 
weak  solutions  and  if  dark  enough  shades  are  not 
produced,  increase  the  strength  or  repeat  the  ap- 
plication. In  many  cases  an  interval  of  some 
time,  even  a  week  or  ten  days,  is  required  to  de- 
velop the  full  effect  of  the  chemicals. 

No  fur  is  ever  really  better  than  a  natural 
one.  Dyeing  tends  to  deteriorate  both  the  hair 
and  leather,  making  the  former  more  brittle  and 
liable  to  wear  and  shortening  the  life  of  the 
latter. 

Furs  in  their  natural  colors  will  fade  from 
long  exposure  to  light,  even  when  on  the  animal's 
back,  and  more  rapidly  as  a  dead  skin.  Artificial 
coloring  can  hardly  be  expected  to  be  more  per- 
manent, nor  is  it. 

OLD  TIME  COLORING  RECIPE. 

A  chapter  on  coloring  furs  would  be  hardly 
complete  without  directions  that  have  appeared 
for  years  in  everything  on  the  subject.  For 
Brown :  Make  a  paste  of  equal  parts  powdered 
lime  and  litharge  with  water  and  apply  to  fur 
with  a  brush.  A  yellowish  brown  from  one  or  two 
coats  is  darkened  by  each  succeeding  coat.  Give 
a  coat  of  the  solution  of  nitrate  of  silver  and  am- 
monia to  produce  black. 


COLORS  AND  FORMULAS  187 

14  oz Nitrate  of  Silver 

4       oz (.1ai*lM)iiate  Ammonia 

li/o  gi Rain  Water 

Keep  corked  tight  and  ap])l.y  with  a  brush 
for  a  brown.  Successive  coats  darken. 

Do  not  think  this  will  be  as  good  as  regular 
fur  dyes  and  at  present  it  costs  even  more  to 
make  yourself,  but  give  it  for  what  it  may  be 
worth. 

We  would  advise  the  fur  worker  in  a  small 
way  to  confine  the  use  of  fur  dyes  to  such  touch- 
ing up  and  blending  as  is  needful  in  combining 
ill  assorted  skins  and  repairing  worn  and  faded 
furs. 

In  the  recipes  given,  the  figures  are  for  av- 
erage amounts.  More  is  sometimes  needful  and 
less  may  be  often  used.  Results  are  not  guaran- 
teed, nor  would  they  be  by  the  most  expert,  with- 
out a  sample  of  the  goods  for  examination  and 
experiment. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

FURRIERS'  TOOLS  AND  SUPPLIES. 

THE  appended  list  of  furriers'  tools  and 
material  may  look  threatening  in  its  en- 
tirety, but  it  must  be  borne  in  mind  that 
while  much  can  be  accomplished  with  less,  it  is 
much  easier  to  do  good  work  with  the  proper 
appliances.  Many  of  these  things  will  be  already 
at  hand,  too,  such  as  hammer,  pliers,  needles, 
scissors,  etc.,  and  considerable  material  suitable 
may  be  had  at  the  dry  goods  stores  or  from  the 
general  catalog  houses.  Some  items,  of  course, 
are  only  handled  by  the  furriers  supply  dealers, 
whose  pi-he  lists  should  be  procured,  as  they 
enumerate  and  describe  about  everything  needful 
and  also  keep  pace  with  the  ever  changing  styles. 
If  only  minor  repairs  are  expected  with,  say, 
an  occasional  skin  to  be  made4  up  for  sportsmen 
as  mu  11',  collar,  rug  or  robes,  but  few  special  tools 
are  necessary;  but  if  a  considerable  volume  of 
even  such  work  is  to  be  had,  quite  an  expenditure 
for  tools  and  materials  will  be  justified.  Some 
things  most  indispensable  are : 

Fur  Cutting  Knives       Awls 
Fur  Combs  Seal  Press 

188 


FURRIERS'  TOOLS  AND  SUPPLIES  189 

Pliers  Scissors 

Tweezers  Needles 

Pinking  Irons  Blocking  and  Nailing 

Muff  Blocks  Pins 

Hammers 

Furs  may  be  cut  and  trimmed  with  almost 
any  sharp  knife  but  the  shape  of  the  regular  fur- 
riers' knife  adapts 
it  to  the  purpose, 
and  a  combination 
of  knife  and  comb 
is  a  particularly 
handy  thing  for  the  small  shop  or  repairer. 

Combs  are  made  of  steel,  brass  and  German 
silver,  running  as  fine  as  twenty  teeth  to  the  inch 
for  use  on  fur  seal  up  to  the  baby  garden  rakes 
for  robe  makers.  There  is  a  plyer  made  with 
especial  shaped  handles  for  stretching  out  the 
edges  of  dressed  skins,  etc.,  but  an  ordinary  plyer 
will  do.  The  tweezers  are  the  usual  fine  pointed 
ones,  as  are  also  the  assortment  of  sewing,  har- 
ness and  brad  awls.  It  is  well  to  have  at  least 
two  sizes  of  pinking  iron  to  suit  large  and  small 
work,  and  the  V  shaped  cutters  will  save  both 
time  and  material.  By  cutting  down  the  middle 
of  a  strip  of  felt  of  suitable  width  with  these 
irons,  two  pieces  of  border  are  produced  at  once. 
Folding  the  felt  over  once  expedites  this  job,  too. 


190  HOME  MANUFACTURE  OF  FURS 

Muff  blocks  for  stretching  and  shaping  skins 
sewn  u])  for  muffs  are  only  to  be  had  of  the  sup- 
ply dealers,  and  are  needed  for  all  but  single 
skins  made  in  open  rug  styles  or  with  ruffled 
satin  muff  beds.  The  seal  press  is  principally 
used  when  goods  are  sent  out  on  approval  to 
prevent  substitution,  and  will  not  be  of  much  use 
to  the  custom  worker  and  repairer. 

A  good  supply  of  needles  for  both  cloth  and 
skins  is  inexpensive  as  are  the  necessary  pins. 
For  nailing,  long,  slender  brads  may  be  substi- 
tuted for  pins. 

Of  the  following  supplies,  it  will  be  neces- 
sary to  keep  on  hand  a  small  stock  of  some  things, 
like  glass  eyes,  artificial  skulls,  noses,  claws  and 
fasteners.  A  line  of  samples  of  the  various  lin- 
ings serve  to  order  from,  and  where  the  skins  are 
brought  in  the  raw  there  will  be  sufficient  time 
to  procure  them. 

Lining  Satin,  Plain  Sheet  Wadding 

Lining  Satin,  Brocaded      Muff  Beds 
Quilted  Lining  Glass  Eyes 

Rubbered  Lining  Head  Forms,   closed 

Scarf  Chains  mouth 

Artificial  Noses  Head  Forms,  open 

Artificial  Claws  mouth 

Stiffening  Canvas  Fasteners,  Hooks, 

Robe  Plush  Loops,  etc. 

Rug  Felt 


FURRIERS7  TOOLS  AND  SUPPLIES  191 

The  manufacturers  or  dealers  will  supply 
samples  with  descriptions  and  prices  of  most  of 
these  goods.  The  satins  are  usually  27  in.  wide, 
quilted  satin  24  and  quilted  coat  lining  36  inches. 
Pinked  felt  borders  are  3  in.  wide,  and  the  piece 
goods  is  either  36  or  72,  usually  the  latter.  Wad- 
ding comes  in  either  nearly  square  sheets  or  rolls 
32  and  36  inches  in  width. 

Chains,  noses,  claws  and  the  smaller  head 
forms  are  sold  in  dozen  and  gross  lots,  the  larger 
sized  head  forms  suitable  for  rugs  sell  singly,  and 
glass  eyes  for  mounting  by  the  pair  or  10  pair 
lots.  Muff  beds  have  lately  been  handled  by 
many  large  dry  goods  dealers  at  retail;  supply 
dealers  sell  them  in  dozen  and  gross  lots.  Cloth 
tops  or  shells  for  both  men's  and  women's  fur 
lined  coats  are  to  be  had  ready  made  in  a  variety 
of  sizes,  qualities  and  materials.  The  addition 
of  the  fur  lining  and  trimming  completes  these. 
New  York  City  is  the  chief  source  of  furriers' 
supplies  for  this  country,  and  many  firms  there 
make  this  their  business  exclusively. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

MAKING   I'P  Ft'US   AND   GARMENTS. 

IT  is  not  within  tin.'  scope  of  this  hook  to  in- 
struct in  the  mysteries  of  the  fashionable 
furriers'  work,  but  rather  to  furnish  some 
hints  to  those  who  would  like  to  protect  them- 
selves or  their  friends  from  cold  and  storm  vrith 
the  spoils  of  trap  and  gun. 

Though  the  treatment  of  skins  differs  in 
many  respects  from  that  given  cloth  in  making 
into  garments,  many  essential  points  are  the 
same.  Bor  this  reason  some  experience  in  the 
tailoring  line  is  useful  if  not  absolutely  neces- 
sary to  the  fur  worker.  What  we  call  fur  gar- 
ments nowadays  are  at  mnxt  combination*  of 
skins  and  textiles. 

Aside  fi'om  some  preparatory  work,  furs  are 
dealt  with  much  the  same  as  a  heavily  napped 
cloth  would  be.  Such  goods,  that  are  very  good 
imitations  of  furs,  are  on  the  market.  The  regu- 
lar shape  of  these  piece  goods,  makes  for  economy 
as  also  the  ease  with  which  they  are  made  up,  but 
they  will  never  displace  the  animal  skins  which 
they  so  cleverly  counterfeit. 

192 


MAKING  UP  FURS  AND  GARMENTS  193 

Unless  already  a  pattern  draughtsman,  the 
ready  made  patterns  will  assist  the  fur  worker 
as  much  as  they  do  the  home  dressmaker.  They 
can  be  had  readily  from  the  dry  goods  dealers  or 
by  mail  at  small  expense,  not  only  for  coats  and 
wraps,  but  for  caps,  muffs,  collarettes  and  simi- 
lar things.  The  Fall  Fashion  Books  contain  pat- 
terns of  fur  pieces,  and  quite  often  some  are 
shown  in  the  Winter  Fashion  Books. 

In  taking  measurements  for  fur  coats  they 
should  be  made  loose  with  ample  allowance  for 
winter  clothing  beneath.  Some  years  ago  the 
velvet-like  close  fitting  seal  skin  coats  were  the 
style,  but  for  real  use  and  protection  against  cold, 
fur  garments  should  be  made  loose  fitting.  The 
present  generation  of  auto  riders  have  realized 
this  and  are  comfortable  in  their  bulky  looking 
ivraps  of  coarse  furs. 

In  cutting  fur,  lay  the  patterns  on  the  flesh 
side  of  skin  and  mark  it  with  pencil  or  chalk. 
Then  with  the  furrier's  knife  (or  any  very  sharp 
knife)  cut  just  through  the  leather  of  the  skin. 
Do  all  cutting  from  the  flesh  side  and  never  try 
to  cut  fur  with  scissors.  All  sewing  also  should 
be  done  from  the  back  or  flesh  side  of  furs,  the 
necessary  finishing  or  sewing,  fastenings,  linings, 
etc.,  of  course  are  on  the  front  or  fur  side. 

Use  good  thread  in  sewing,  for  very  delicate 
furs  silk,  and  in  all  other  cases  linen  of  suitable 


194 


HOME  MANUFACTURE  OF  FURS 


"POLISH    FUR    STITCH" 


size;  carpet  thread  is  good  for  medium  and  large 
size  skins.  Gilling  thread  will  answer  for  coats 
and  robes.  Skins  should  be  sewed  with  an  over 
and  over  stitch,  sometimes  called  the  "Polish  fur 
stitch,"  and  a  small 
thread  d  o  u  b  1  e  d  is 
often  better  than  a 
large  single  thread,  as 
the  latter  is  more  apt  to  cut  out  of  tender  skins. 
A  little  beeswax  on  the  thread  will  help  it  to  rua 
smoothly.  Regular  waxed  ends  may  be  used  for 
heavy  buckskin  work  like  mittens  and  moccasins. 
Thorough  dressing  and  good  sewing  will 
turn  out  durable  furs,  and  nothing  is  more  exas- 
perating than  to  have  a  nice  looking  fur  gape  at 
the  seams  and  start  falling 
to  pieces  because  of  rotten 
thread  or  poor  sewing. 

In  sewing  a  fur  seam, 
one  piece  may  stretch  more 
than  the  other  on  account 
of  being  lighter  leather,  or 
for  some  other  reason  may 
not  look  like  coming  out  even.  Now  if  you  will 
take  the  stitches  just  a  little  longer  on  the  long 
side  it  will  probably  be  remedied ;  if  the  seam  is 
inclined  to  pucker,  dampen  it  a  little  and  stretch, 
it  will  flatten  out.  Measure  up  before  you  near 
the  end  of  a  long  seam,  so  there  may  be  time  t<? 


(1)  BASE   BALL   STITCH 

(2)  OVER   STITCH 


MAKING  UP  FURS  AND  GARMENTS  195 

remedy  anything  of  the  sort.  It  is  often  a  good 
plan  to  begin  in  the  middle  of  a  long  seam  and 
work  each  way. 

The  average  layman  knows  very  little  about 
furs  and  is  more  or  less  at  the  mercy  of  the  fur 
worker.  Your  recommendations  are  apt  to  be 
followed  if  they  seem  sound.  As  an  example,  a 
bunch  of  skins  may  come  in,  far  from  prime  and 
in  bad  shape,  as  the  coat  which  the  owner  wishes 
they  would  be  a  distinct  failure  and  a  poor  ad- 
vertisement for  you.  As  a  floor  rug  they  might 
be  quite  satisfactory.  Endeavor  to  show  by 
comparison,  etc.,  why  you  do  not  wish  to  make 
them  up  as  the  coat. 

Some  people  seem  to  think  if  a  skin  is  pro- 
duced in  the  extreme  north  it  must  be  of  the  very 
best.  Tourists  in  Alaska  were  frequently  victim- 
ized formerly  and  purchased  at  good  round  sums, 
the  summer  skins  and  shedders,  culls,  which  the 
traders  refused  as  not  worth  the  freight.  At  one 
time  a  shrewd  business  man  brought  a  number  of 
raw  skins  of  the  hair  seal  which  he  had  bid  in  at 
bargain  (?)  prices  at  auction,  with  visions  of  a 
soft,  elegant  coat  for  his  wife.  Were  they  not 
genuine  Alaska  seal  skins?  He  had  heard  that 
the  furriers  could  pluck  the  stiff  hairs  out  and 
dye  them  to  get  the  right  effect.  An  army  officer 
had  a  robe  of  some  unknown  but  beautiful  skin 
which  he  had  procured  in  North  China;  could 


196  HOME  MANUFACTURE  OF  FURS 

the  fur  be  identified  and  valued?  Inspection 
showed  it  to  be  trimmings  from  the  fur  shops, 
fox  paws  chiefly,  and  while  rather  unique,  hardly 
valuable. 

Repair  work  is  a  help  to  the  would-be  manu- 
facturer, for  in  ripping  apart  old  work  much  in- 
sight into  the  mode  of  construction  is  gained. 
Sometimes  this  will  prove  to  be  the  easiest  way 
to  get  a  desired  pattern. 

Strive  to  give  all  work  a  neat  finish,  as  lack 
of  this  spoils  the  effect  often.  Do  not  be  dis- 
couraged by  a  mistake  occasionally,  the  best 
workmen  make  them,  though  it  is  sometimes*  diffi- 
cult for  them  to  explain  to  the  boss  why  both  coat 
sleeves  were  cut  for  the  same  side.  Finally,  don't 
undertake  the  impossible  or  unprofitable.  You 
can't  imitate  skunk  with  woodchuck,  and  though 
you  may  be  able  to  pluck  and  dye  a  muskrat  to 
imitate  seal,  it  will  be  a  long  time  before  you  can 
do  it  at  a  profit  for  ten  or  twelve  cents  each  as 
the  professional  can. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

FUR   ROBES. 

THE  increasing  use  of  the  automobile  has- 
stimulated  the  production  of  fur  robes 
and  coats,  as  furs  are  the  only  material 
that  will  protect  from  the  cold  winds  encoun- 
tered in  riding  during  the  winter  months. 

Horse  and  cattle  hides,  properly  dressed  anci 
lined  make  perfect  one  piece  robes  and  are  nearly 
wind,  rain  and  moth  proof.  Select  hides  that  are 
as  free  from  blemishes  as  possible  and  of  an  av- 
erage size.  A  good  length  and  thickness  of  fur 
or  hair  is  more  important  than  the  color,  as  that 
can  be  made  uniform  by  dyeing.  Such  skins  can 
hardly  be  dressed  economically  by  hand  in  large 
quantities,  but  the  large  tanning  concerns  handle 
them  satisfactorily  at  a  reasonable  cost. 

Smaller  skins  make  up  as  handsome  robesr 
fox,  raccoon,  coyote  and  wild  cat  being  frequent- 
ly used ;  even  selected  skins  of  the  domestic  sheep 
look  well  and  are  as  warm  as  any  furs.  Straight 
haired  goat  skins  furnish  most  of  the  cheaper 
grade  fur  robes,  either  in  the  natural  gray  color 
or  dyed  black  or  brown. 

197 


198 


HOME  MANUFACTURE  OF  FURS 


The  leather  of  these,  especially  the  dyed 
skins,  is  apt  to  be  tender,  Black  and  brown  bear 
make  excellent  robes  but  are  not  often  used. 
Robes  made  of  muskrat  skins  are  used  in  closed 
vehicles  but  are  too  delicate  to  stand  much  rough 
usage  in  the  open. 

Skins  intended  for  use  in  a  robe  should  be 
taken  off  open 
and  stretched  in 
the  s  h  a  p e  of  a 
recta  ngle.  The 
head  skins  are  sel- 
dom worked  up  in 
robes,  and  if  good 
may  be  trimmed 
off  a  n  d  mounted 
for  the  wall  or 
saved  to  supply 
d  e  ft  c  i  e  n  c  ies  in 
other  skins  of  the 

oTRONG  HIDE    (CATTLE)    LAPROBE   Same   Species.     The 

tails  of  wolves'  and 

foxes  may  be  left  on  to  ornament  one  side  or  both 
ends  of  a  robe. 

Sizes  of  robes  vary  according  to  the  skins 
used,  but  they  are  usually  either  48,  54,  or  60 
inches  wide  and  60,  66,  72  or  84  inches  long. 
The  approximate  number  of  skins  of  different 
animals  needed  for  a  robe  are : 


FUR  ROBES 


199 


Horse  or  Cow 1 

Kip  (yearlings)  or  Bear 2  to    3 

Calf,  Goat,  Sheep 4  to    8 

Dog,  Coyote,  Wolf 6  to  10 

Wild  Cat 12  to  15 

Raccoon,  Fox 12  to  20 

Woodchuck,  Opossum,  Muskrat 20  to  30 

The  general  effect  will  be  better  if  all  the 
skins  used  in  a  robe  are  of  about  the  same  size. 

After  dressing,  all 
cuts  and  holes  in 
the  skins  should 
be  s  e  w  n  up,  and 
after  dampen  i  n  g 
the  flesh  sides, 
stretch  and  tack 
them  out  flat,  fur 
side  down.  In  do- 
ing this  get  them 
spread  as  evenly 
as  you  can,  so  they 
will  waste  as  little 
as  possible  in 
trimming. 

For  this  nailing  out  skins,  a  number  of  light 
boards  are  cleated  together  and  laid  on  a  pair  of 
trestles  of  suitable  height.  Several  of  these  port- 
able nailing  boards  are  handy,  as  they  can  be 


COYOTE  LAPROBE,   8  SKINS 
Note  tails  in  center. 


204 


HOME  MANUFACTURE  OF  FURS 


lifted  off  and  set  on  edge  at  one  side  of  the  room 
while  skins  are  drying.  When  dry  the  skins  are 
cut  to  a  uniform  size.  If  they  have  a  darker  line 
down  the  middle  of  the  back,  take  care  to  get  it 
in  the  center  of  each.  Rather  than  cut  down 
skins  too  much,  piece  out  gaps  in  front  of  and 
behind  the  legs.  Cut  a  pattern  of  the  size  you 
think  suits  best  and  mark  around  it  on  the  skins 
before  cutting  them. 

Stout  glovers  needles  and  a  substantial 
thread  like  carpet  thread  should  be  used  in  sew- 
ing r  o  b  e  s  and 
r  u  g  s,  as  t  h  e  y 
must  withstand 
much  ro  u  g  h  e  r 
use  than  o  t  h  e  r 
f  u  r  s.  Stitches 
should  be  well 
drawn  up  though 
they  need  not  be 
fine;  strength  is 
the  main  requi- 
site as  the  fur 
conceals  them, 
and  if  too  close  together  they  will,  under  a  strain, 
tfur  off  the  margin.  Muskrats,  that  have  been 
skinned  and  stretched  with  pointed  rumps  may 
be  trimmed  to  a  point  at  each  end  and  so  save 
Considerable  waste.  In  this  way  the  stripe  is  not 


FUR  ROBE  OF  MUSKRAT  SKINS, 
POINTED   RUMPS 


FUR  ROBES  201 

continuous  when  they  are  put  together  but  giving 
the  robe  a  mottled  appearance. 

After  cutting  out  the  needed  number  ol 
skins  they  are  sewed  together  in  rows  and  the 
rows  in  turn  sewed  to  each  other  in  the  manner 
of  making  patchwork  quilt.  The  fur  is  usually 
made  to  run  all  one  way ;  sometimes  it  may  be 
arranged  to  run  from  the  center  towards  both 
sides.  This  sewing  is  all  done  from  the  back  of 
the  skins,  using  the  regular  furrier's  overhand 
stitch. 

Dampen  the  back  of  the  complete  robe  ami 
stretch  and  nail  it  out  again  to  its  full  extent,  to 
remove  wrinkles  and  flatten  the  seams.  When 
dry  it  is  ready  for  the  border  and  lining. 

Sometimes  it  is  necessary  to  turn  the  edge 
of  the  skin  and  baste  it  down  to  prevent  the  raw 
edge  showing.  The  border,  consisting  of  strips 
of  felt  about  3  inches  wide,  scalloped  or  pinked 
along  one  edge  may  be  bought  ready  to  use,  or 
you  can  procure  felt  in  the  piece  and  cut  and 
pink  it.  A  small  hand  iron  used  with  a  hammer 
OF  mallet  on  the  end  of  a  hardwood  block  will  do 
as  good  work  but  not  as  fast  as  a  small  pinking 
machine. 

The  cost  of  one  of  these  is  about  $5.00,  and 
where  much  robe  and  ru^  work  is  done  it  would 
be  of  great  use,  as  als<?  ,vould  a  heavy  fur  over- 


202 


HOME  MANUFACTURE  OF  FURS 


stitch  machine.  The  border  may  be  either  single 
or  double  with  the  upper  one  %  or  an  inch  nar- 
rower than  the  lower,  and  usually  of  a  contrast- 
ing color.  This  border  is  sewed  on  from  the 
back,  running  the  needle  obliquely  through  with 
a  short  stitch  on  the  fur  side  and  a  long  one  on 
j  the  cloth.  An  in- 

!  AAAAA<^^yVS<VV<|  terlining  of  cotton 

I       A       A       A       )  sheet  wadding  is  to 

v^v^w^y  b(i   bagted   to   the. 

BRIAR    STITCH    ON    LINING  ba(.k  of  the  robe  be_ 

fore  the  cloth  lining  is  fastened  in  place.  For 
this  lining,  felt  is  sometimes  used,  but  i^lush  or 
beaver  cloth  are  more  durable.  They  come  in  54 
and  60  inch  widths,  thus  cutting  to  good  advan- 
|age.  All  edges  of  this  lining  should  be  turned 
under  and  it  should  be  sewed  to  the  border  or 
borders  with  a  stitch  the  reverse  of  that  used  in 
sewing  the  border  to  the  skins.  That  is,  with  a 
long  stitch  in  the  border,  but  a  short  one  on  the 

outside  of  1  i  n  i  n  g. 
This  will  sink  into 
the  pile  of  the 
cloth,  if  pulled 

SEWING    BORDER   AND    LINING 

snug,  thus  escaping 

both  notice  and  wear.  Of  course  a  thread  ap- 
proximating the  color  of  the  cloth  is  used,  and 
in  sewing  the  border  to  the  fur  the  thread  used 
should  blend  with  the  fur,  not  the  border. 


FUR  ROBES 


203 


Baby  carriage  robes  are  made  of  angora  or 
lamb  skins  lined  and  trimmed  with  light  colors, 
usually  white,  blue  or  pink.  Quilted  satin  or 
eiderdown  cloth  is  used  to  line,  and  wadding  is 
unnecessary.  They  usually  have  an  opening  for 
the  head  and  shoulders  and  sometimes  a  pocket 
for  the  feet.  The  sizes  varv  from  19x24  in.  to 
24x36  in. 

Robes  are  subject  to  much  wear  and  tear 
and  calls  for  repairs  are 
more  frequent  than  or- 
ders for  new  work.  In 
order  to  sew  up  rips  and 
tears  in  the  skins  pro- 
perly it  is  necessary  to 
rip  at  least  one  side  of 
the  lining  loose  and  turn 
the  robe.  Large  robes, 
badly  worn  around  the 
edges,  may  be  cut  down 
slightly  in  size  if  no 
similar  material  is  at 
hand  for  repairs.  Dress- 
ed, unlined  goat  "plates"  or  rugs  may  be  bought 
to  repair  robes  of  that  kind.  Often  replacing 
worn  and  soiled  lining  and  border  with  new  and 
giving  the  fur  a  good  beating  and  combing  will 
make  a  shabby  robe  practically  like  new. 


BABY  CARRIAGE  ROBE 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

FUR  RUGS,  WITH  AND  WITHOUT  MOUNTED 
HEADS. 

ALMOST  all  fur  skins  except  some  few  oi 
the  most  expensive  varieties  are  used  for 
floor  rugs  and  some  species  like  tlie  Polar 
and  Grizzly  Bears,  Tiger,  Jaguar,  Puma,  Lion 
and  Leopard  are  used  for  little  else. 

A  skin  intended  for  a  rug  should  be  taken 
off  "open,"  taking  special  care  to  remove  the 
whole  of  the  skin  around  ears,  eyes,  nose  and 
mouth.  The  paws  of  such  animals  as  bears, 
tigers,  and  pumas  should  be  skinned  to  the  last 
joint  of  the  toes  before  cutting  off,  as  the  paws 
with  claws  attached  add  to  the  appearance  of 
such  large  skins.  The  paws  are  frequently  pre- 
served on  smaller  skins  like  fox  and  wild  cat 
but  are  hardly  worth  the  trouble,  being  so  small 
that  a  careless  step  will  crush  them. 

Stretch  the  skins  to  dry  in  the  approximate 
shape  of  the  finished  rug,  and  avoid  drawing  it 
out  in  ragged  points.  When  sufficiently  dry  fold 
fur  side  in  and  pack  or  ship  to  the  tanner.  If 
convenient  to  dress  it  at  once  or  put  it  in  the 

204 


FUR  RUGS,  WITH  AND  WITHOUT  HEADS         ZU3 

pickle  tub  until  a  leisure  day,  the  stretching  and 
•drying  can  be  omitted. 

If  to  be  mounted  with  the  natural  teeth, 
dean  the  skull  roughly  of  brains  and  flesh  and 
dry  it  out  thoroughly,  then  attach  it  securely  to 
the  skin;  inside  if  it  is  folded  up.  Dress  rug- 
skins  as  you  would  any  fur  skin,  though  they 
will  last  as  well  if  not  thinned  too  much.  The 


NATURAL    SKULLS— DOG    WOLF.    SHE    WOLF,    BAY    LYNX, 
OTTER,  MINK 

hand  scraper  and  small  knife  should  be  useu 
around  the  head  and  feet. 

Floor  rugs  made  up  in  the  flat,  that  is  with- 
out heads,  are  made  much  the  same  way  as  lap 
robes;  sometimes  they  are  left  in  the  animal 
shape.  Cattle,  sheep,  goat  and  deer  hides  are 
often  made  up  so,  and  smaller  skins  like  raccoon 
and  fox  may  be  cut  to  a  rectangular  shape  and 
joined  together  in  rows  of  two  to  six.  Sewing 
two  of  these  rows  together  at  the  necks  will 


206  HOME  MANUFACTURE  OF  FURS 

make  a  good  floor  rug',  with  the  tails  decorating 
the  ends  or  sides,  as  the  case  may  be. 

Large  single  skins  and  square  rugs  in  the 
flat,  line  best  like  fur  robes,  that  is,  a  border  of 
pinked  felt  is  sewed  all  around  the  rug,  cotton 
wadding  basted  in  for  interlining  and  a  lining  of 
felt  or  cotton  canvas  'sewed  to  the  border  all 
around. 


WILD    CAT    RUG— Olih.  riAL*     HEAD 

When  heads  are  wanted  on  rugs  they  are 
usually  mounted  half  head  or  -mask  5  style  or 
full  head  open  mouth.  This  hah  head  ot  "mask" 
mounting  consists  of  the  upper  par*:  o':  the  head 
skin  only,  the  lower  jaw  is  not  represented  at 
all,  and  the  mounted  head  lies  much  flatter  to 
the  floor  than  when  the  full  head  is  mounted 
with  the  mouth  open.  For  mounting  with  open 
mouth  either  the  natural  or  artificial  teeth  are 


FUR  RUGS,  WITH  AND  WITHOUT  HEADS         207 


necessary.  The  latter  may  be  had  already  placed 
in  aii  artificial  skull,  or  separately. 

These  open  mouth  head  forms  have  the  in- 
terior of  the  mouth  and  tongue  modeled,  and 
finished  with  paint  or  colored  wax.  Their  anat- 
omy is  as  nearly  accurate  as  is  necessary  and 
practical,  and  examination  of  one  will  aid  you 
if  it  should  be  necessary  to  model  a  few  heads 
that  may  be  wanted  with  the  natural  teeth. 

The  forms  for  half  heads  are  so  cheap  that 

unless  a  cer- 
tain kind  is 
wanted  in  con- 
siderable num- 
bers it  is  bet- 
t  e  r  to  buy 
them.  In  case 
the  making  is 
u  n  d  e  rtaken, 
make  a  plaster 
mold  of  the 
upper  part  of 

the  head,  in  two  pieces,  by  imbedding  a  skinned 
head  in  clay  or  sand  up  to  the  mouth  and  pouring 
plaster  of  paris  over  it.  Before  doing  this  scoop 
out  the  eyes  and  partly  fill  the  sockets  with  clay, 
so  the  paper  form  may  have  a  depression  in 
which  to  set  the  glass  eyes.  The  plaster  should 
be  mixed  with  water  to  the  consistency  of  thick 


(2)  MAKING     MOULD     FOR     HEAD     FORM 
(1)  FINISHED    MOULD 


208  HOME  MANUFACTURE  OF  FURS 

cream.  A  bottomless  box  of  thin  wood  will  pre- 
vent it  spreading  around  too  much,  and  a  stout 
thread  stuck  along  the  top  of  the  head,  and 
pulled  up  through  the  plaster  as  it  begins  to 
harden  will  cut  the  mould  in  two  pieces.  An  or- 
dinary cigar  box  without  the  bottom  is  a'bout 
right  to  use  in  getting  the  mould  of  a  fox  or  coon 
head. 

To  make  a  paper  form  in  this  mould,  make 
a  cup  of  flour  paste  and  soak  a  few  Landfills  of 
building  or  coarse  wrapping  paper.  The  paper 
should  be  torn  in  pieces  approximately  3  to  8 
inches  square,  according  to  the  size  of  the  Lead 
and  after  soaking  in  water  10  or  15  minutes  be 
squeezed  about  as  dry  as  can  be  with  the  hands. 
Paste  a  number  of  pieces  on  one  side  and  press 
them  into  the  inside  of  the  mold  with  the  fingers, 
letting  them  overlap  each  other  and  making  a 
complete  layer.  Put  the  impasted  side  next  the 
mold  or  there  may  be  trouble  when  it  is  time  to 
remove  it.  Repeat  this  process  until  there  is 
from  5  to  10  layers  of  paper  in  place,  the  number 
depending  on  the  thickness  of  the  paper  and  size 
of  the  Lead.  In  order  to  get  eacL  layer  complete 
and  so  make  tlie  form  of  uniform  tLickness  it  is 
best  to  Lave  paper  of  two  colors  and  use  tLem  in 
alternate  layers.  Common  paper  flour  sacks  are 
nice  for  small  Leads,  as  tliey  are  very  tougli  paper 
and  being  of  a  different  color  inside,  tlie  pieces 


FUIi  RUGS,  WITH  AND  WITHOUT  HEADS         209 

are  merely  reversed  every  other  layer.  Let  the 
edges  project  somewhat  from  the  mold  and  trim 
off  with  knife  or  shears  after  removing  the  form. 
Set  the  mold  with  its  paper  lining  in  a  warm 
place  a  few  hours  to  dry.  When  the  paper  is 
about  dry  cut  the  string  and  free  the  mold  from 
the  hollow  paper  cast. 

If  a  mold  like  this  is  made  from  each  species 
of  animal  received  in  the  flesh,  it  will  not  be  long 
until  a  record  is  on  hand  of  the  facial  character- 
istics of  most  of  the  fur  bearers,  which  will  be 
extremely  useful.  The  whole  operation  is  not 
very  formidable,  and  the  forms  need  not  be  made 
at  once;  in  fact,  it  is  best  to  wait  until  several 
molds  are  on  hand,  as  one  batch  of  paste  and 
paper  will  fill  them  all. 

These  forms  are  complete  for  mounting  half- 
lieads,  and  if  a  mould  is  made  for  the  lower  jaw 
may  be  fitted  with  the  natural  teeth  and  com- 
pleted as  open  mouth  heads.  To  do  this  success- 
fully requires  considerable  practice  and  some  na- 
tural ability  for  modelling. 

The  bones  of  upper  and  lower  jaws  contain- 
ing the  teeth  should  be  wired  to  the  paper  forms 
and  set  firmly  in  place  with  plaster  of  paris  to 
which  a  little  liquid  glue  has  been  added.  A 
very  little  glue  will  retard  the  setting  enough  to 
give  plenty  of  time  for  modelling  and  make  the 
plaster  much  harder  and  less  likely  to  crumble 


210  HOME  MANUFACTURE  OF  FURS 

when  dry.  If  this  plaster  and  glue  has  a  quan- 
tity of  ground  paper  pulp  mixed  with  it,  the 
weigh c  and  also  the  liability  to  crack  will  be  re- 
duced. The  best  finish  for  the  inside  of  the  mouth 
>s  made  of  equal  parts  beeswax  and  paraffin,  col- 
ored with  tube  paints.  Melt  the  wax  together 
and  dipping  out  a  spoonful,  squeeze  a  little  color 
into  it  and  stir  until  well  mixed.  Add  this  grad- 
ually to  the  rest  of  the  wax,  stirring  as  you  do 
so.  Cakes  of  wax  of  suitable  colors  for  mouth 
finishing  are  carried  by  dealers  in  taxidermists' 
supplies. 

The  tongue  may  be  either  modeled  in  place 
or  made  separately  and  put  in  after  waxing  both 
it  and  the  mouth.  Very  small  tongues  are  often 
whittled  out  of  wood.  A  little  glue  on  the  bot- 
tom and  a  finishing  brad,  set  in  and  covered  with 
a  drop  of  wax  hold  them  in  place,  and  a  few 
brushes  full  of  hot  wax  connect  them  with  the 
mouth.  Melt  modeling  wax  in  pressed  tin  cups 
and  apply  with  small  flat  and  round  brushes.  It 
can  be  worked  into  shape  with  warm  metal  tools, 
and  should  not  be  heated  too  hot  as  that  turns  it 
dark.  The  above  directions  are  given,  as  the 
owner  of  a  skin  frequently  wishes  the  natural 
teeth  used. 

In  ordering  head  forms  from  dealers,  give 
the  name  of  animal  and  the  distance  in  inches 
from  nose  to  eye  and  eye  to  ear.  In  an  emergency, 


FUR  HUGS,  WITH  AND  WITHOUT  HEADS         211 

a  half  head  form  may  be  built  up  with  tow  or 
excelsior  on  a  base  of  thin  board,  winding  the 
material  into  shape  with  thread  or  cord  and  giv- 
ing it  a  heavy  coat  of  clay.  Cut  the  board  into 
the  shape  the  head  would  have,  if  it  were  split 
back  from  the  corners  of  the  mouth.  Before 
mounting,  the  skin  of  the  head  must  be  well 
pared  down  and  stretched  to  its  full  extent 
around  nose,  eyes  and  lips,  and  the  ears  skinned 
or  pocketed  to  their  tips.  Sew  up  all  cuts  and 
holes,  dampen  the  head  skin  and  give  it  a  coating 
inside  with  arsencial  solution  if  you  wish  to  keep 
insects  away.  We  have  to  omit  this  on  fur  cloth- 
ing and  run  the  chances,  but  rugs  are  not  in  such 
close  contact  with  the  owner's  person. 

Cover  the  surface  of  the  form  with  modeling 
clay  or  a  mixture  of  water,  glue  and  whiting  if 
you  prefer.  Set  the  glass  eyes  in  their  places. 
Cut  two  pieces  of  pasteboard  the  shape  of  the 
ears  but  a  little  smaller,  and  after  coating  both 
sides  with  glue  slip  them  inside  the  ears.  Now 
put  the  skin  on  the  form,  get  the  ears,  eyes  and 
nose  in  place  and  drive  a  few  pins  through  skin 
and  form,  in  a  line  along  the  center  of  the  head. 
You  probably  pared  away  little  bunches  of  mus- 
cle attached  to  the  skin  around  the  base  of  the 
ears,  eye  brows  and  base  of  the  whiskers,  each 
side  of  the  nose.  Replace  them  with  wads  of  tow 
and  clay,  and  mold  into  shape  with  the  fingers  on 


212  HOME  MANUFACTURE  OF  FURS 

the  outside  of  the  skin.  Shape  the  nose  with  nos* 
trils  open  and  place  the  eyelids  right,  using  the 
point  of  an  awl  and  the  fingers.  Draw  the  skin 
down  each  side  and  sew  around  the  edge  of  form 
with  coarse  stitches. 

Dampen  and  poison  the  whole  skin  on  the 
inside,  if  all  holes  are  repaired,  and  laying  it  on 
the  floor  or  a  nailing  board,  stretch  and  nail  in  a 
line  from  head  to  tail,  fur  side  up.  Stretch  the 
legs  as  you  want  them  and  nail  at  short  intervals 
around  the  edge  of  skin. 

There  will  probably  be  folds  of  skin  between 
the  legs  and  body ;  fold  these  over  and  when  dry 
cut  out  and  sew  up  gores  of  sufficient  size  to 
make  the  skin  lay  perfectly  flat.  Do  this  after 
the  skin  has  dried  and  been  removed  from  the 
nailing  board.  Trim  the  outer  edges  to  give  it  an 
even  outline  and  it  is  ready  for  border  and  lining. 
Stuff  the  head  form  with  some  paper  or  excelsior 
and  sew  a  piece  of  cloth  over  it  to  keep  it  in 
place. 

If  a  small  skin  like  fox  or  wild  cat,  felt  may 
\>e  used  for  both  lining  and  trimming;  large  skins 
need  stronger  material  like  cotton  canvas  for  lin- 
ing. Lay  it  on  a  piece  of  felt  and  draw  a  mark 
around  it  with  chalk,  keeping  about  three  inches 
from  the  skin.  This  cut  out  and  pinked  around 
the  edge  makes  the  lining  and  one  border.  The 
other  border  rs  a  strip  of  felt  about  two  inches 


FUR  RUGS,  WITH  AND  WITHOUT  HEADS         213 

wide,  pinked  on  one  edge  and  sewn  around  the 
entire  outer  edge  of  the  skin.  Gather  it  neatly 
when  rounding  the  head  and  paws.  If  the  tail  is 
bushy  like  a  wolf  or  fox,  a  border  or  lining  for  it 
is  not  necessary;  short  furred  tails  should  have 
both. 

This  border  is  sewed  on  as  a  robe  border  is, 
using  good  thread,  of  a  color  to  blend  with  the 
fur.  Any  fur  caught  in  the  stitches  should  be 
picked  out  with  an  awl.  The  wadding  interlining 
basted  in,  the  lining  and  second  border  combined 
is  sewed  on.  Lay  the  skin  on  this  and  adjust  it 
carefully  to  get  the  margin  alike  all  around.  Pin 
it  in  several  places  to  prevent  getting  it  out  of 
place  while  sewing. 

This  lining  is  sewed  on  from  the  back  to  the 
first  border,  either  using  colored  silkatine  and  a 
briar  stitch  or  common  thread  and  the  stitch  used 
in  lining  robes.  The  latter  of  course  is  nearly 
invisible,  the  fancy  stitch  in  silkatme  outlines  the 
skin  on  the  lining. 

On  large  skins  a  double  felt  border  is  sewed 
on  and  a  canvas  lining  large  enough  to  turn  in 
all  around  sewed  to  it.  Large  skins  also  need  to 
be  tied  to  the  lining  in  several  places,  as  is  done 
with  bedding,  to  keep  lining  and  wadding  in 
place. 

Open  mouth  rugs  are  handled  about  the 
same  way,  pinning  the  skin  of  the  lips  to  the  form 


214  HOME  MANUFACTURE  OF  FURS 

instead  of  sewing.  Animals  like  tigers  and 
lions  have  prominent  whiskers  which  must  be 
preserved  and  displayed  to  look  well.  These  are 
rooted  in  thick  lumps  of  muscle,  which  must  not 
be  cut  away  or  the  whiskers  will  drop  out.  In 
order  to  loosen  them  up  without  this  happening, 
criss-cross  these  muscles  with  cuts  which  will 
produce  the  desired  effect. 

When  the  mounted  heads  have  thoroughly 
dried,  cut  off  all  projecting  pins,  brush  the  fur 
clean  of  clay  or  dust  and  give  the  end  of  the  nose 
a  thin  coat  of  wax.  With  a  fine  brush  paint  hot 
black  wax  on  the  eyelids  to  connect  them  with 
the  glass  eyes.  The  lips  are  in  the  same  way 
connected  with  the  gums  of  the  artificial  mouth. 

Black  is  the  color  needed  for  the  nose  and 
lips  of  most  animals;  some  require  brown.  It 
usually  blends  gradually  into  the  pink  of  the 
mouth.  Never  finish  the  mouth  of  a  polar  bear 
in  pink  or  red,  however,  it  is  in  nature  a  peculiar 
purple  much  like  a  Concord  grape. 

In  setting  the  ears,  bend  them  back  along 
the  neck  usually ;  the  head  with  open  mouth  and 
bared  fangs  is  intended  to  express  a  snarl.  Some 
head  forms  are  now  made  for  mounting  the  en- 
tire head  with  the  mouth  closed,  no  teeth  being 
used,  and  others  called  shells  are  ready  for  fast- 
ening the  natural  teeth  in.  Tongues,  too,  in 


INLAID   ANIMAL   RUG— TWO    DIFFERENT   KINDS   OF   FURS 
215 


216  HOME  MANUFACTURE  OF  FURS 

several  varieties  and  sizes  may  be  bought  ready 
modeled. 

What  are  called  inlaid  fur  rugs  are  made 
with  the  skin  of  one  animal  set  into  another  of  a 
contrasting  color,  such  as  a  fox  skin  set  in  some 
black  fur,  like  bear  or  dyed  goat.  This  makes  a 
pleasing  variety,  and  sometimes  a  large  skin  that 
is  damaged  may  be  utilized  in  this  way.  The  skin 
of  a  bear  or  deer  with  a  large  patch  shed  off  or 
torn  out  in  the  back  can  be  made  up  in  good  shape 
by  setting  in  the  skin  of  a  coon  or  wild  cat. 

To  do  this,  cut  a  pattern  of  the  smaller  skin 
after  shaping  it  and  mounting  the  head  if  you 
like.  Lay  this  pattern  on  the  back  of  the  large 
skin,  taking  care  to  get  it  right  side  up.  Mark 
and  cut  out,  allowing  a  little  for  the  seam  all 
around.  Sew  this  in  on  the  back  and  then  line 
as  wanted.  The  common  goat  rugs,  about  30x60 
inches  in  size,  are  often  used  this  way  to  mount 
skins  of  fox,  coon  or  wildcat.  No  border  is  used 
on  these,  as  the  long  goat  hair  is  sufficient,  and 
the  rug  is  lined  with  a  piece  of  canvas  or  denim. 

Considerable  repair  work,  especially  on  open 
mouthed  heads,  is  often  called  for.  Broken  teeth 
can  be  duplicated  by  carving  bone  or  block  cellu- 
loid, and  plaster  composition  and  wax  will  go  far 
to  repair  damage. 

Every  fur  shop  should  have  some  one  capable 
of  rug  mounting,  as  it  is  something  that  appeals 


FUR  RUGS,  WITH  AND  WITHOUT  HEADS         217 

to  the  customer  with  one  or  two  skins  of  a  kind, 
who  wishes  to  keep  them  as  mementoes  or  tro- 
phies. No  unusual  investments  in  tools  or  mate- 
rials are  needed  to  execute  this  work,  and  when 
finished  it  combines  use  and  ornament. 

Sometimes  a  rug  will  be  brought  in  which 
may  possess  a  good  head  but  be  damaged  beyond 
any  possibility  of  repair  otherwise.  It  is  a  sim- 
ple matter  to  please  the  owner  by  preserving  this 
as  a  wall  mount.  Skins  trimmed  for  robes  and 
garments,  and  those  badly  damaged  often  furnish 
good  head  skins,  and  if  you  are  equal  to  mounting 
rug  heads,  they  can  be  as  readily  mounted  for 
the  wall.  In  fact,  no  fur  store  or  shop  seems 
complete  without  a  few  of  them  around. 

To  do  this  we  must  have  a  full  head  form 
with    either    open    or    closed 
mouth.     Put  a  piece  of  board 
in  the  back  of  the  form  and 
PJFOPRMFOR  WALtD  fasten    temporarily    with    a 
MOUNT  small  nail  or  two.    Put  this  in 

the  vise  and  adjust  to  your  liking,  then  mark  and 
saw  off  at  the  length  of  neck  you  wish.  Cut  an 
oval  shaped  piece  of  board  %  to  an  inch  thick,  of 
the  proper  size  to  fit  in  the  neck  skin  at  the  point 
where  it  is  to  be  cut  off,  and  nail  or  screw  it  to 
the  end  of  neck  board.  The  head  should  have  the 
nose  either  at  right  angles  with  the  wall  or  point- 
ing down  somewhat.  Set  the  neck  board  in  head 


218  HOME  MANUFACTURE:  OF  FURS 

form  by  pouring  plaster  Paris  around  it  aiid  let 
it  harden. 

Then  wind  'to\v  or  excelsior  on  the  neck  with 
thread  or  cord,  to  the  proper  size,  coat  with  soft 
modeling  clay,  and  finish  as  in  mounting  rug 
heads.  If  the  head  is  already  mounted  the  frame 
and  neck  can  be  added.  A  hardwood  panel  or 
shield  screwed  to  the  base  of  the  neck  completes 
the  work. 

We  have  more  than  once  rejoiced  the  owner 
of  a  rug  which  had  been  partially  destroyed,  but 
was  valued  for  associations,  by  treating  the  head 
in  some  such  way  as  above  described. 

Fur  robes  and  floor  rugs,  especially  the  lat- 
ter which  are  handled  but  little,  should  be  pois- 
oned on  the  inside,  before  lining,  as  it  will  greatly 
reduce  the  danger  of  damage  by  insects.  The  best 
preparation  we  have  found  to  use  for  this  is  a 
solution  of  white  arsenic. 

ARSENICAL  SOLUTION. 

Arsenic  (Crystals  or  Powdered)  .   1  Ib. 

Bicarbonate  of  Soda y2  Ib. 

Water 5  pts. 

Put  in  an  old  dish,  at  least  twice  as  large  as 
necessary  to  contain  the  ingredients,  and  boil  un- 
til the  arsenic  and  soda  have  dissolved.  Stir  fre- 
quently while  boiling.  When  cool  put  in  a  bottle 
or  jar  and  label  plainly  as  ( Poison ! ) . 


FUR  RUGS,  WITH  AND  WITHOUT  HEADS         219 

To  apply,  dampen  the  skin  or  skins  slightly 
on  the  flesh  side  and  after  mixing  some  of  the  so- 
lution with  whiting  to  the  consistency  of  thin 
cream  paint  it  over  the  flesh  side  with  a  brush. 
It  will  penetrate  the  skin  and  the  ends  of  the 
hairs  where  they  enter  the  epidermis,  favorite 
pasture  for  moth  larvae  and  bacon  beetles. 

Large  mounted  game  heads  are  poisoned  on  the 
outside  by  spraying  with  the  solution  diluted 
\\itli  about  twice  its  bulk  of  water.  Test  it  on  a 
black  feather  and  if  a  gray  deposit  is  left  on 
drying,  dilute  until  this  is  prevented.  Apply 
with  an  atomizer  or  small  garden  sprayer. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

TRIMMINGS   AND    NATURAL   HEADS   AND    TAILS. 

OF  the  making  of  fur  trimmings,  like  books, 
there  seems  to  be  no  end.  Continually 
changing  styles  call  for  something  new  in 
this  line  every  season.  In  the  great  fur  centres 
prosperous  firms  deal  in  artificial  heads*  or  heads 
and  tails  alone.  Thousands  of  trimming  heads 
are  sold  every  year,  and  many,  many  tails  which 
grew  several  on  the  same  animal. 

The  best  ornamental  heads  are  made  with 
the  natural  head  skins  as  a  basis.  These  have 
the  ears  attached  and  the  fur  is  of  the  proper 
length  and  disposition  to  look  the  best.  The 
majority  of  them  are  wanted  in  rather  smaller 
size  than  the  natural  head  and  are  cut  down  be- 
fore mounting. 

Artificial  skulls  of  paper,  cork,  rubber  and 
composition  are  for  sale  in  a  variety  of  shapes 
and  ranging  in  size  from  the  smallest  ermine  to 
about  %  the  natural  size  of  a  fox.  Some  have 
closed  mouths,  others  show  a  tongue  and  teeth 
and  the  fad  some  seasons  ago  was  for  heads  with 
movable  jaws  closed  with  springs.  Noses  are 
ready  modeled  on  skulls,  for  skins  minus  these 
220 


TRIMMINGS  NATURAL  HEADS  AND  TAILS       221 

appendages  or  they  may  be  had  separately  to  use 
where  needed,  as  they  always  are  where  the  heads 
are  artificial  out  and  out  and  made  up  from  mere 
scraps  of  fur. 

The  mode  of  mounting,  say  a  fox  head,  for 
use  on  a  boa  is  about  as  follows:  The  head  skin 
is  dampened  on  the  inside  and  all  edges  straight- 


CORNER    OF    WORK    BENCH,    HORN    CLAWS,    ARTIFICIAL 
HEADS   OF   PAPER  AND   COMPOSITION 

ened  out,  the  nose  also,  usually  much  wrinkled 
and  shrunken,  is  dampened  and  the  nostrils 
shaped.  As  it  is  now  the  skin  is  at  least  an  inch 
and  a  half  too  long  for  the  skull.  It  is  flattened 
out  and  a  V  shaped  strip  about  one  inch  and  a 
quarter  wide  cut  out.  The  point  of  this  V  is  just 
back  of  the  nose  and  the  extensions  of  it  run 


222  HOME  MANUFACTURE  OF  FURS 

about  to  the  corners  of  the  mouth.  Cutting  this 
out  removes  the  eye  holes  and  separates  a  piece 
of  skin  with  the  nose  and  whiskers  attached  from 
the  rest  of  the  skin.  This  we  replace  and  sew  on. 
shortening  the  face  skin  by  the  width  of  the  V 
cut  out  and  the  seam  made  in  sewing. 

Any  cuts  or  tears  in  the  -skin  are  sewn  up 
and  the  skin  fitted  to  the  skull.  If  about  right 
this  is  given  a  coat  of  liquid  glue  on  the  upper 
surface  and  the  skin  adjusted  over  it.  Glass  eyes 


SHORTENING  NATURAL  HEAD  SKIN 

on  long  wires  are  fastened  in  their  proper  places 
by  running  the  wires  through  holes  in  the  head 
form  and  twisting  them  together  inside  with 
pliers.  The  inside  of  the  form  is  filled  with  a 
bunch  of  cotton  wadding  and  skin  drawn  in  place 
under  that  of  the  upper  lips,  fastening  it  by  pins 
and  sewing. 

The  ears  are  adjusted  and  sewed  and  pinned 
)n  place.  If  it  looks  about  right  now,  the  head 
may  be  set  to  one  side  to  dry,  wrapping  it  with 


TKIMMINGS  NATURAL  HEADS  AND  TAILS        223 

tape  or  strips  of  cloth  first  if  it  seems  disposed 
to  get  out  of  shape.  When  dry  remove  the  wrap- 
pings and  all  unnecessary  stitches  and  pins,  and 
touch  up  the  lips  and  end  of  nose  with  black 
varnish. 

If  the  natural  ears  are  too  large  in  their  full 
size,  cut  out  the  base,  using  the  tips  only.  Where 
the  natural  ears  are  missing  or  too  badly  dam- 
aged to  use,  bits  of  skin  with  short  fur  from  the 
paws  may  be  made  to  do  duty  for  ears  by  clever 
shapiug.  When  the  heads  are  made  from  waste 
bits  of  fur  it  will  probably  be  necessary  to  clip 
it  about  the  nose. 

A  head  clamp  is  on  the  market  whereby  it  is 
possible  to  make  fur  heads  quickly  and  perfectly 
and  with  which  but  little  skill  is  required  to  make 
most  artistic  heads.  Heads  can  be  made  with 
rubber  skulls  or  without,  the  result  in  either  case 
being  a  well  shaped  head. 

In  using  this  contrivance  the  skin  is  sewed 
up  as  usual,  dampened  and  drawn  over  the  head 
form  and  placed  in  the  clamp,  where  it  is  left 
until  dry.  On  removal  the  shape  is  retained  per- 
manently. Shaping  by  hand  is  done  away  with 
and  the  heads  made  in  this  way  are  uniform  in 
shape  and  general  appearance.  It  is  made  in 
three  sizes  suited  to  the  following  skins :  Small> 
mink,  ermine;  Medium,  sable,  marten;  Large, 
fox,  lynx  and  fisher.  Paws  of  the  smaller  fur 


224  HOME  MANUFACTURE  OF  FURS 

bearers  are  used  in  large  numbers  as  trimmings, 
chiefly  the  natural  paws  complete,  on  the  best 
grade  of  work.  When  cut  from  the  skins,  they 
should  be  carefully  cleaned  with  hand  scraper, 
etc.,  and  if  the  natural  claws  are  attached  so 
much  the  better.  Artificial  claws  are  made  in 
horn,  pyroline,  glass  and  metal  which  will  take 
the  place  of  those  missing. 

Tails  are  a  most  important  part  of  most  fur 
skins,  and  the  loss  of  a  tail  from  such  skins  as 
should  possess  a  beautiful  fluffy  brush  cuts  its 
value  sharply.  A  black  or  silver  fox  skin  without 
a  tail  would  be  like  Hamlet  without  the  Prince 
of  Denmark.  Still  many  are  destroyed  and  many 
are  wanted,  where  tails  never  grew,  so  the  furrier 
is  called  on  to  supply  them.  The  best  artificial 
tails  are  made  of  strips  of  long  haired  fur  sewed 
spirally  on  a  core  of  cord  or  similar  material. 
Machines  produce  the  cheaper  grade  of  artificial 
tails. 

Fur  baud  trimming  is  used  in  great  variety 
in  both  dyed  and  natural  furs.  This  is  made  of 
furs  cut  and  sewn  in  long  strips,  varying  in 
width  from  V2  to  2  or  3  inches.  The  plucked  and 
dressed  skins  of  swans  are  mostly  used  in  this 
way.  Band  trimming  is  made  up  both  length- 
wise and  crosswise  of  the  fur,  probably  more  the 
latter  way,  though.  Buttons,  frogs  and  loops 
covered  with  fur  are  required  for  garment  fast- 
eners, etc. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

COLLARS,   CUFFS,   AND   ODD   PIECES. 

A  FEW  skins  can  be  worked  up  to  good  k 
vantage  as  collars  and  cuffs  to  smarten  k 
an  old  coat.  The  best  way  is  to  cut  & 
paper  pattern  from  the  garment,  allowing  for 
seams  and  thickness  of  the  fur.  Some  furrier-: 
make  a  detachable  fur  collar  which  may  be  worn 
with  any  overcoat.  It  requires  1  wild  cat  or  ot> 
ter,  2  raccoons,  or  5  or  6  muskrat  or  skunk  skint 
to  make,  and  is  cloth  lined.  The  auto  hood  fo* 
ladies  protects  the  ears  and  head  from  cold 
wind,  and  is  made  of  about  the  same  amount  of 
fur.  Cut  on  the  pattern  of  a  cloth  hood,  with  & 
deep  fur  facing  in  front. 

Hand  bags  and  purses  are  little  novelties 
that  can  be  made  up  from  scraps  of  almost  anj 
of  the  short  haired  furs.  Plucked  otter  am 
beaver,  ocelot  and  leopard  skins  are  good  ones, 
to  use  in  this  way.  The  larger  bags  will  need  ? 
lining  of  chamois  leather  or  buckskin.  An  old 
leather  purse  or  bag  will  furnish  a  suitable  pat' 
tern.  Very  small  fur  heads,  the  size  of  ermines, 
car  be  used  to  ornament  fur  purses.  At  one  time 
numbers  of  alligator  paws  were  made  into  purses 

225 


226 


HOME  MANUFACTURE  OF  FURS 


far  tourists  in  the  Southern  states.  These  are 
usually  Avithout  metal  mountings,  being  simply 
of  leather. 

To  make  them  the  skin  of  the  alligator  foot 
was  removed  entire  by  cutting  around  above  the 
wrist  and  turning  inside  out 
nearly  to  the  end  of  the  toes. 
The  toes  were  disconnected  at 
the  last  joint  and  the  nails  left 
with  the  skin.  When  this  had 
been  duly  dressed,  the  toes  were 
slightly  stuffed  with  cotton  or 
tow  to  keep  their  shape,  and  the 
skin  of  the  wrist  cut  in  the  shape 
of  a  flap  to  close  the  purse.  A 
strip  of  "gator"  leather  folded 
and  stitched  made  a  suitable 
ALLIGATOR  PAW  handle,  and  the  addition  of  a 
chamois  or  velvet  lining  com- 
pleted a  unique  souvenir.  The  killer  of  a  good 
sized  'gator  would  acquire  the  material  for  four 
novel  purses  besides  sufficient  leather  for  more 
than  one  bag  and  other  small  articles  like  belts 
and  match  safes. 

These  latter  articles  are  often  made  from 
the  dressed  skin  of  snakes  also.  While  not  fur- 
rier work  by  any  means  it  is  often  difficult  to  find 
any  one  to  make  them  up,  and  the  skin  dresser 
may  capture  a  few  stray  dollars  in  this  way. 


COLLARS,  CUFFS,  AND  ODD  PIECES 


227 


Alligator  leather  is  quite  strong  but  snake 
skins,  unless  of  some  of  the  very  large  tropical 
species,  will  require  to  be  backed  with  something 
substantial.  A  stout  strip  of  calf  skin  is  neces- 
sary to  make  a  belt,  lighter  leather  is  sufficient 
backing  for  snake  skins,  made  up  as  hat-bands, 
match  safes,  purses,  and  small  bags. 

Dampen  the  dressed  snake  skin  and  then 
cement  it  to  the  backing  with  a  cement  which 

may  be  procured 
at  leather  stores. 
The  backing 
should  be  cut  of 
the  exact  size 
wanted  and  the 
snake  leather 
enough  larger  to 
be  turned  well 
over  the  edge  of 
the  same  all 
around.  This 
margin  should  be  wide  enough  to  receive  a  row  of 
stitching,  which  may  be  done  with  an  ordinary 
sewing  machine  in  most  cases.  This  leather 
stitching,  of  course,  is  on  the  face  of  the  work  and 
should  be  done  with  a  double  thread  as  a  harness 
maker  does. 

The  match  case  shown  is  from  a  single  piece 
of  alligator  G1/-.  or  7  inches  long  and  2  wide, 


SNAKE  SKIN  BELT 
SECTION  OF 


228 


HOME  MANUFACTURE  OF  FURS 


folded  and  stitched  together.    A  piece  of  emery 
paper  is  glued  on  the  front.    Snake  skin  backed 
with  thin  leather  may  be  used 
for  the  same  thing,  but  it  should 
be  stitched  around  flap  and  all. 
TJ/   belt  purse  is  made  in 
much  L,iie  same  way,  of  one  piece 
4  inches  wide  and  5  or  6  long. 
The  belt  is  run  through  loops 
in  the  back  and  the  flap  fast- 
ened  with   a   button   or   glove 
fastener.      It    is   used    for    car 
tickets,  cards,  matches,  etc.    Of 
course  these  sizes  can  be  varied 
to  suit  the  case.     Snake  skins 
work  up  to  the  best  advantage 
in  ^uch  things  as  these  on  ac- 
count  of  their 
shape. 

The  other  small 
article  shown  is  a 
tobacco  pouch 
which  is  of  buck- 
skin or  something 
similar.  The  two 
side  pieces  about  6 
inches  long  and  a 
•strip  7  inches  long 
and  11/2  wide  is  cut 
BUCKSKIN  POUCH  into  fringe.  This 


MATCH      HOLDER 
Alligator  Leather 


COLLARS,  CUFFS,  AND  ODD  PIECES  229 

is  sewed  in  when  the  other  pieces  are  sewed  to- 
gether inside  out.  Turn  it  right  side  out  and 
run  a  thong  through  the  slits  at  the  top  and  it  is 
finished  unless  you  wish  to  try  your  hand  at  bead 
work,  or  embroidery  on  the  sides. 

It  has  been  said  that  no  white  man  or  woman 
either  can  make  a  good  buckskin  shirt,  and  per- 
haps it  is  so;  we  don't  see  many  of  them  worn 
nowadays.  However,  if  any  one  wants  to  try  it 
here  is  the  device  of  a  man  who  has  made  and 
worn 

BUCKSKIN   SHIRTS,   A.   F.   WALLACE 

Here  again,  for  a  pattern  it  is  best  to  take 
a  comfortable  fitting  shirt,  rip  it  apart,  dampen 
it  and  press  flat,  then  cut  out  your  pattern.  As 
for  the  gloves,  sew  inside  out,  and  turn,  but  be 
very  careful  and  have  plenty  of  room  across  the 
shoulders  and  chest.  It  seems  that  a  buckskin 
shirt  needs  more  room  here  than  any  other  kind. 
If  you  want  the  fringe,  then  cut  a  piece  about 
two  and  a  half  or  three  inches  wide,  cut  the 
fringe  one  and  a  half  or  two  inches  deep,  and  sew 
into  the  shoulder  seam  down  to  the  Avrist.  Use 
a  three  cornered  needle  or  a  "buckskin  needle," 
so  called  for  this  work,  and  the  linen  carpet 
thread. 

With  a  knit  jacket  and  the  above  shirt,  you 
can  stand  some  cold.  Do  not  have  it  open  in 


230  HOME  MANUFACTURE  OF  FURS 

front,  like  a  common  shirt,  but  leave  one  shoulder 
seam  open  from  the  neck  to  the  top  of  the  shoul- 
der, and  have  it  button  or  lace. 

Buckskin  if  properly  smoked,  can  be  washed 
in  tepid  soapsuds,  and  dry  soft.  If  not,  rub  soft 
and  smoke  as  before  directed. 

Perhaps  you  are  not  aware  of  the  fact  that 
a  good  buckskin  shirt  brings  from  eight  to  ten 
dollars,  and  are  scarce  at  that.  You  will  need 
two  large  hides,  or  three  small  ones  for  the  aver- 
age man. 

Vests  are  made  of  buckskin  and  sometimes 
of  calf  and  colt  with  the  hair  on.  These  are 
mostly  used  for  riding  in  cold  weather  and 
should  be  high  cut  to  protect  the  chest.  They 
are  patterned  after  and  lined  much  as  cloth  vests 
are.  About  the  only  place  where  the  riding 
leggins  or  "chaps"  of  bear,  deer  or  angora  skin 
are  seen  now  is  at  the  Wild  West  shows. 

Fur  lined  sleeping  bags  may  be  made  from 
very  cheap  furs  and  still  be  desirable  for  the  out 
door  sleeper  in  cold  weather.  The  outside  bag 
should  be  of  heavy  canvas  made  in  plain  bag 
shape  large  enough  for  the  user.  Get  this  canvas 
in  brown  if  you  can;  it  will  get  dirty  anyway 
when  in  use.  Make  the  fur  lining  the  same  shape 
and  nearly  the  same  size  as  the  outside.  In  this 
way  but  little  strain  comes  on  the  fur,  prevent- 


COLLARS,  CUFFS,  AND  ODD  PIECES  231 

ing  it  from  being  torn  by  the  movements  of  the 
occupant.  Sew  the  two  bags  together  well  at  the 
top  and  tack  the  lining  to  the  canvas  at  the  bot- 
tom and  sides  in  several  places.  This  will  tend 
to  keep  it  in  place,  and  yet  permit  it  to  be  re- 
moved for  repairs  without  ripping  both  bags  to 
pieces. 

For  the  inner  bag  or  lining  almost  any  kind 
of  fur  may  be  made  use  of.  Use  whole  skins  if 
you  can ;  scraps  and  pieces  are  just  as  warm  but 
there  will  be  many  more  seams  and  seams  are  the 
weak  point  in  fur  construction.  Pale  and  faded 
skins  can  be  worked  in  these  linings  without  col- 
oring, they  are  more  durable  so  and  as  warm  as 
any.  Cheap  'coon  or  opossum  and  the  skins  of 
short  wooled  sheep  or  lambs  are  suitable  for  this 
use. 

An}7  one  taking  long  rides  with  horse  or  auto 
in  winter  will  appreciate  a 
foot  muff.  This  resembles  a 
foot  stool,  in  the  top  of 
which  the  feet  can  oe  thrust. 
The  bottom  and  sides  of  this 
are  usually  of  some  stout 
cloth  or  canvas  and  the  top 

of  a  short  haired  skin.     In 
FOOT  MUFF  the  top  is  a  glit  to  which  is 

sewed  a  pocket  of  some  rough  fur,  large  enough 
to  contain  the  feet.  Its  shape  (the  muff)  should 


232  HOME  MANUFACTURE  OF  FURS 

be  round,  about  16  inches  in  diameter  and  8 
inches  high. 

Make  a  good  roll  of  fur  around  the  opening 
of  the  pocket,  a  binding  of  raccoon  tails  is  good. 
Fill  loosely  with  fine  excelsior,  tow  or  something 
similar  before  finally  sewing  up.  Put  the  fur  top 
with  the  foot  pocket  attached  on  last  and  sew  the 
cloth  sides  to  it.  A  mounted  half  head  of  fox, 
coon  or  wild  cat  in  the  center  of  the  top  will 
add  a  touch  of  ornament. 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

COATS   AND   CAPES. 

IT  would  hardly  be  advisable  to  begin  fur 
working  by  the  construction  of  a  coat  unless 
perhaps  in  an  emergency  as  a  defense 
against  the  cold.  It  certainly  would  not  be  likely 
to  be  stA'lish  in  cut  or  fit.  A  man's  fur  driving  or 
work  coat  could  be  achieved  without  much  trou- 
ble, using  either  a  paper  pattern  or  better  an  old 
coat  for  a  guide.  Coarse  fur  or  sheepskin  coats 
made  like  the  duck  clothing  so  much  in  use  now- 
adays should  not  prove  a  serious  problem,  though 
a  lady's  fine  fur  coat  should  not  be  undertaken 
unless  the  operator  has  a  working  knowledge  of 
tailoring. 

In  making  up  the  coarser  fur  garments,  skins 
are  used  whole,  that  is,  trimmed  to  rectangular 
shape,  so  as  to  preserve  the  back  skin,  with  the 
irregularities  like  flanks  and  flippers  eliminated. 
In  this  way  the  average  muskrat  skin  will  furnish 
a  piece  of  material  about  6x8  inches.  All  skins 
used  in  a  garment  should  be  cut  to  the  same  size, 
so  unless  of  approximately  the  same  size  to  begin 
with,  considerable  waste  will  take  place.  You 
will  see  in  this  the  advantage  of  having  quite  a 

233 


234  HOME  MANUFACTURE  OF  FURS 

stock  of  skins  to  select  from  and  the  correspond- 
ing disadvantage  of  having  to  contrive  some  ar- 
ticle from  a  small  number.  Enough  in  number 
for  the  purpose,  perhaps,  but  ranging  in  size 
from  small  to  extra  large. 

This  would  mean  cutting  down  the  largest, 
and  probably  the  best,  and  piecing  out  the  less 
desirable  small  skins.  For  instance,  if  making  a 
short  coat  that  will  require  forty  muskrat  skins, 
try  to  get  fifty  to  select  from ;  this  will  allow  you 
to  eliminate  some  10  of  the  extremes  in  size,  the 
largest  and  smallest. 

When  preparing  skins  to  cut  for  robes  or 
garments  in  this  way,  sew  up  all  damaged  places 
and  cuts,  dampen  and  nail.  Mark  the  center  line 
of  the  back,  and  lay  a  pasteboard  pattern  of  the 
size  fixed  on,  on  the  skin  to  mark  around.  This 
pattern  should  be  made  with  a  square  so  as  to 
be  perfectly  even  and  marked  in  the  center  also. 
Now  unless  there  is  a  large  numbr  of  skins  to 
select  from  it  is  not  likely  that  they  will  all 
match  in  color. 

They  will  be  just  as  warm  but  to  get  them 
the  same  shade  the  lighter  ones  must  be  touched 
up  until  all  about  correspond  with  those  natur- 
ally darkest.  With  an  unlimited  number  to 
choose  from,  they  can  of  course  be  sorted  into  lots 
of  similar  size  and  shades.  This  is  in  regard  to 
fur  garments  made  in  their  simplest  form,  for 


COATS  AND  CAPES 


235 


the  primary  purpose  of  furnishing  warmth  to  the 

wearer. 

The  more  elaborate  fashionable  furs  are  cut 

and  pieced  by  the  furriers  in  a  way  that  is  almost 

beyond  belief.     The  most  elaborate  patterns  are 

worked  out  in  fur 
of  different  shades 
•and  lengths.  Mink 
skins  are  "drop- 
ped" from  18  to  28 
inches  in  length, 
or  the  same  skin 
may  be  out  into 
two  longitudinal 
strips,  each  2  or 
2!/2  inches  wide,  in 
this  way  produc- 
ing stripes  of  al- 
ternate long  and 
'Short,  light  and 
dark  fur.  Muskrat 
are  "dropped"  in 

^    ^  ^ 

resemble  mink, 

and  furs  are  frequently  cut  so  as  to  make  the 
stripes  conform  to  the  lines  of  the  wearer.  It  is 
nothing  unusual  for  an  examination  of  the  inside 
of  a  fur  garment  to  show  no  single  piece  of  skin 
much  wider  than  a  man's  thumb.  These  very 


236  HOME  MANUFACTURE  OF  FURS 

beautiful  and  unique  garments  call  for  a  high 
degree  of  skill  in  the  fur  operator  and  command 
high  prices,  but  they  are  not  designed  for  nor  will 
they  withstand  hard  usage. 

It  is  customary  to  make  the  collars  and 
sometimes  the  cuffs  of  fur  coats  of  finer  fur  than 
the  balance  of  the  garment,  or  of  the  same  variety 
with  the  long  hairs  removed  or  plucked. 


SECTION  OF  RACCOON  SKIN  "DROPPED"  OR  "LET  OUT" 
IN  LENGTH 

In  making  fur  lined  coats,  the  shell  or  cloth 
top  may  be  procured  from  the  dealers,  ready  for 
lining.  They  will  furnish  the  necessary  infor- 
mation as  to  measurements,  and  supply  samples 
of  the  cloth,  usually  kersey  or  doe  skin.  In  these 
garments  the  sleeves  are  frequently  lined  with 
cloth.  Both  men's  and  women's  heavy  fur  coats 
may  be  lined  with  either  quilted  lining  or  wool 


COATS  AND  CAPES  237 

cloth  like  mackinaw.  Silk  and  satin  linings  are 
suitable  for  the  fine  furs,  and  they  should  have 
an  interlining  of  wadding  to  prevent  undue  wear 
from  the  seams  in  the  skins. 

FUR  LL\ED  COATS  FOR  LADIES  OR  MEN  REQUIRE  : 

Kind  No.  Skins 

Mink 50-55 

Skunk    45-50 

Beaver  9-10 

Muskrat About  50 

Horse  or  Cow 1 

Calf  or  Colt 6-7 

MEN'S  AND  LADIES'  LONG  COATS 

48  TO  52  INCHES  LONG 
Kind  No.  Skins 

Horse  or  Cow 1  large 

Kip  or  Pony 2-3 

Calf  or  Colt 6-8 

Raccoon 22-30 

Wild  Cat 15-20 

Skunk  or  Opossum 25-30 

Fox 20-25 

Coyote  10-12 

Muskrat,  Mink    50-70 

SHORT  COATS,  (ABOUT  36  INCHES) 

Horse  or  Cow 1  medium 

Calf  or  Colt. .  ..5-6 


238  HOME  MANUFACTURE  OF  FURS 

SHORT  COATS  (ABOUT  36  INCHES) — Continued 
Kind  No.  Skins 

Kaccoon 15-20 

Wild  Cat 10-12 

Skunk  or  Opossum 15-20 

Fox 10-12 

Muskrat  and  Mink 40-50 

The  actual  number  of  skins  for  a  coat  varies 
greatly  on  account  of  the  size  of  the  wearer  and 
condition  and  size  of  skins. 

Not  many  fur  capes  are  made  nowadays, 
though  they  were  once  much  used  by  men  and 
women  both.  The  coachman's  heavy  fur  cape 
has  been  replaced  by  the  chaffeur's  fur  coat.  At 
one  time  many  evening  wraps  were  made  of  fine 
furs  with  silk  and  satin  linings.  These  were 
shaped  somewhat  at  the  shoulders,  without 
sleeves  but  with  slit  openings  for  the  arms,  and 
on  account  of  their  width,  required  a  compara- 
tively large  amount  of  material  to  make. 

Accompanying  this  is  the  pattern  for  a  fur 
cape.  This  is  in  a  girl's  size  but  can  be  enlarged 
to  suit.  It  is  composed  of  two  parts  for  cape, 
four  for  neck  band  and  four  for  collar,  besides 
the  lining,  which  is  practically  identical  in  shape 
and  size  with  the  cape. 

The  front  edges  of  cape  are  turned  under 
about  iy2  inches  to  form  a  facing  and  the  V 


COATS  AND  CAPES  239 

shaped  piece  dart  removed  on  each  side,  shape 
it  to  the  shoulders  Skins  should  run  from  top 
to  bottom  and  opossum  or  muskrat  are  very  suit- 
able to  work  out  the  design  with. 

Interline  cape  with  wadding  basted  to  the 
skins  and  use  canvas  stiffening  in  neck  baud  and 
collar.  These  have  fur  on  both  sides,  and  should 


FUR   CAPE   AND   PATTERN 

be  sewed  up  wrong  side  out,  then  turned  and 
sewed  around  the  neck  of  cape.  The  lining  is 
added  last. 

Remember  the  furrier  cannot  make  use  of  the 
tailor's  hot  iron  for  pressing  goods,  removing 
wrinkles  and  flattening  out  seams.  Of  course  an 
iron  may  be  used  some  times,  but  never  hot. 
Dampening  and  stretching  are  used  instead. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

CAPS,    MITTE>N7S   AND    GLOVES. 

THESE  are  the  small  articles  most  in  de- 
mand probably  and  are  not  difficult  for 
the  aspiring  fur  worker  to  produce.  Two 
styles  of  cap,  the  army  pattern  and  the  visor  and 
ear  laps  and  the  plain  round  visorless  cap  are 
oftenest  made  up  in  fur.  If  other  styles  are 
wanted  take  a  cloth  cap  of  the  desired  kind,  rip 
it  apart  and  use  to  cut  a  set  of  patterns.  Musk- 
rat  is  used  to  a  great  extent  for  these  and  is  as 
warm  as  any  fur,  though  any  short  or  medium 
length  fur  looks  well. 

The  Army  cap  has  the  crown  made  in  two 
pieces  as  shown  in  the  cut.  Of  course  a  skin  may 
need  some  piecing  out,  but  whole  skins  as  far  as 
posible  should  be  used,  as  the  more  seams  the 
more  likelihood  of  rips.  After  cutting  a  pattern, 
pin  it  together  and  try  it  on,  remembering  to 
allow  for  a  lining.  The  ear  laps  and  visor  should 
be  of  fur  on  both  sides,  so  there  is  really  eight 
pieces  to  be  cut  for  the  cap.  Sew  the  crown 
together  first,  inside  out  of  course,  sew  the  pieces 
for  visor  and  ear  laps  in  the  same  way  and  then 
turn  them. 

240 


CAPS,  MITTENS  AND  GLOVES 


241 


Some  pieces  of  either  common  8  oz.  or  stif- 
fening duck  should  be  cut  of  a  size  to  slip  inside 
these  when  turned,  to  help  keep  them  in  shape. 
Then  after  the  crown  is  turned  they  can  be  sewed 
to  it.  Turn  in  the  lower  edge  of  crown  all  around 
so  no  raw  edges  will  show. 

The  crown  is  put  together  with  the  seam 
running  fore  and  aft,  from  the  center  of  the 
visor  to  the  back  of  cap.  Line  the  cap  with  some 


THE  ARMY   CAP   PATTERN 

wool  material  or  better  with  quilted  coat  lining. 
Cut  and  sew  up  the  lining  in  the  shape  of  the 
crown  or  like  a  skull  cap,  and  sew  it  in  with  the 
edges  turned  in.  If  preferred  this  cap  may  be 
made  up  with  a  band  to  turn  up  all  around  in- 
stead of  the  visor  and  ear  laps.  In  doing  this 
allowance  should  be  made  for  the  thickness  of 
fur  on  the  cap  over  which  the  band  must  go. 

The  round  or  "pill  box"  shape  cap  has  only 
two  pieces,  ihe  band  and  crown.    The  band  must 


242 


HOME  MANUFACTURE  OF  FURS 


SECTION 
5IDL 

1 

'PILL    BOX"    CAP    PATTERN 


be  the  proper  size  to  go  around  the  forehead  with 
allowance  for  the  lining. 

The  crown  piece  is  slightly  oval  and  just 
large  enough  in  cir- 
cumference to  go  in- 
side the  band.  Quilted 
lining  is  sewed  up  in 
the  same  shape,  slipped 
up  in  and  sewed  in 
place  at  the  lower  edge, 
turning  in  both  fur  and 
lining.  Fur  ear  tabs 
can  be  made  and  turn- 
ed inside  this  cap. 

Mittens  are  made  in 

a  variety  of  ways,  both  lined  and  unlined. 
Woodsmen  agree  that  a  good  practical  way  is  to 
make  them  unlined  and  wear  a  cloth  or  knit  mit- 
ten or  glove  inside.  This  can  be  removed  and 
dried  out  without  trouble. 

Made  with  the  hair  or  fur  inside  they  are 
quite  couifortble  for  some  purposes.  Trimmings 
of  cattle  hides  from  robes  may  be  utilized  for 
such  mittens  as  these  and  for  driving,  handling 
wood  or  fodder  and  similar  odd  jobs  they  are  just 
the  thing. 

I.  They  are  made  of  four  pieces,  one  for  the 
back,  two  for  palm  and  one  for  the  thumb.  To 
get  a  mitten  pattern  lay  the  hand  on  a  piece  of 


CAPS,  MITTENS  AND  GLOVES 


243 


stiff  paper  and  mark  around  it.     Make  an  al- 
lowance of  1/4  to  ]/<j  inch  for  seams  in  cutting  out. 

Cut  and  make  one 
/  out  of  an  old  piece 

of  cloth  first.  If 
it  is  about  right  go 
ahead  with  the  fur 
ones.  Sew  them 
inside  out  and 
turn  them.  It  is  a 
good  idea  to  make 
the  wrists  two  or 

FOUR    PIECE    MITTEN    PATTERN     ^eC    inches    long 

and     then     turn 

them  over,  making  a  fur  roll  that  will  fill  the  coat 
sleeve  and  exclude  cold  wind. 


0 


TWO  PIECE  MITTEN  PATTERN 


Something  similar  is  the  two  piece  mitten, 
II,  the  pattern  for  which  is  got  by  the  same 


244 


HOME  MANUFACTURE  OF  FURS 


method.  This  way  the  place  for  the  thumb  hole 
can  be  determined.  Make  the  pattern  plenty 
large  and  sew  up  the  mitt  wrong  side  out  so  all 
seams  come  on  inside  when  finished.  This  has 
fewer  seams  than  the  preceding  variety,  but  re- 
quires larger  pieces  of  skin  to  make  it.  If  you 
wish  to  make  these  of  buckskin,  linings  may  be 
cut  the  same  size  from  flannel  and  sewed  in  the 
seams  at  the  same  time. 

Pattern  III  is  a  three  piece  design  which 
can  be  made 
either  of  buck, 
fur  with  fur  in  or 
with  palm  of 
buck  and  the  rest 
fur  outside.  A 
variation  of  this 
is  IV.  Be  a  little 
careful  and  make 
a  mitten  for  each 
hand,  as  it  is  an 
easy  matter  to 
get  them  both  cut 
the  same. 

The  pattern   I 

makes  up  all  right  with  the  back  (1)  and  the 
wrist  (3)  fur  side  out  and  palm  (2)  and  thumb 
(4)  of  buckskin. 

No  specific  directions  can  be  given  for  glove 
making.    To  get  a  pattern  the  best  plan  is  to  rip 


THREE  PIECE   MITTEN   PATTERN 


CAPS,  MITTENS  AND  GLOVES 


245 


an  old  pair  apart,  dampen  them  and  press  them 
flat.  Use  the  pieces  to  mark  out  by  and  sew  them 
up  as  for  mittens.  These  patterns  as  well  as 
those  for  moccasins  may  be  made  up  in  duck  or 
other  heavv  cloth  if  skins  are  not  to  be  had. 


ANOTHER  FOUR  PIECE  MITTEN  PATTERN 

The  number  of  skins  required  to  make  a  fur 
cap  is: 

Muskrat,  medium 4 

Beaver,  medium  1 

Raccoon,  large   1 

Mink,  medium 4 

Calf. . .  .small  1  or  2  from  medium 
One  pair  of  gloves  or  mittens  will  require  6 
or  8  large  muskrat  skins,  1  medium  beaver  or  1 
medium  otter  skin.  Dog  and  calf  skins  will 
make  from  1  to  3  pairs  of  gloves  or  mittens  from 
each  skin.  When  making  a  horse  or  cattle  hide 
into  a  robe,  there  are  generaly  enough  pieces  left 
to  make  a  pair  of  mittens  or  gloves. 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

MUFFS  AND  NECKPIECES. 

THIS  form  of  fur  wearing  is  perhaps  the 
most  universal,  and  the  streets  of  any 
large  city  during  the  colder  months  will 
furnish  examples  of  such  pieces  in  all  skins  from 
the  velvety  mole  to  the  resplendent  jaguar  and 
lordly  bear.  Muffs  range  from  the  small  child's 
size  of  two  meagre  rabbit  skins  to  the  overgrown 
barrel  or  melon  shape  which  half  hides  the  robust 
lady  of  fashion  behind  its  two  wolf  skins.  Neck- 
pieces of  fur  are  subject  to  similar  variations, 
ranging  from  the  simple  neck  band  of  single  mink 
skin  to  the  elaborate  shawl  collarette  requiring 
twenty  skins  of  the  same  variety. 

The  fashionable  shape  of  muffs  is  changing 
constantly,  one  of  the  oldest  shapes  being  round 
and  straight  from  end  to  end  like  a  section  of 
stove  pipe.  These  are  still  being  made,  as  are 
also  the  half  round,  pillow,  rug  and  melon  de- 
signs. 

In  making  up  furs  and  especially  muffs  and 
boas  or  collarettes  from  small  skins  a  certain 
difficulty  is  apt  to  confront  the  fur  worker.  One 
skin  like  the  mink,  for  instance,  is  not  long 

246 


MUFFS  AND  NECKPIECES 


247 


enough  to  reach  around  the  desired  circumfer- 
ence, two  would  be  too  long,  to  add  a  few  inches 
without  spoiling  the  appearance  is  difficult, 
though  when  skins  slightly  dissimilar  are  joined 
at  the  edges  it  only  results  in  a  slightly  striped 
pattern. 

It  seems  necessary  to  lengthen  the  skins  a 
few  inches  each 
and  this  is  called 
"d  r  o  p  p  ing"  or 
"letting  out." 
The  open  skin  is 
flattened  out  and 
marked  on  the  in- 
side with  a  num- 
ber of  M  shaped 
marks.  These  are 
closest  together 
in  the  widest 
part  of  the  skin 
and  they  all  cen- 
ter exactly  on  the 
dark  stripe  of  the 
a  n  i  m  a  Ps  back. 
After  cutting  on 

these  lines  the  skin  is  sewed  together  again  and 
here  is  where  the  desired  length  is  gained. 

Whenever  a  V  shaped  cut  is  run  into  the  skin, 
the  point  of  the  V  is  sewn  up  for  a  short  distance. 


DROPPING   FOX    SKINS    FOR   BOA— 
V   METHOD 


248  HOME  MANUFACTURE  OF  FURS 

This  of  course  throws  the  next  piece  that  much 
further  down.  If  ten  cuts  were  made  and  the 
points  of  each  sewed  together  y2  inch  a  gain  of 
nearly  5  inches  in  length  would  result.  Of  course 
this  diminishes  the  width  somewhat.  When  the 
sewing  is  finished  the  skin  will  be  full  of  puckers 
and  wrinkles,  but  they  are  removed  by  dampen- 
ing it  and  nailing  out  flat,  after  which  the  edges 
are  trimmed  and  it  is  used  like  a  whole  skin.  In 
this  way  muskrat  are  lengthened  to  resemble 
mink,  and  single  skins  of  fox  and  raccoon  are 
given  requisite  length  for  use  as  boas  or  neck 
scarfs*.  The  finer  furs  are  sometimes  treated  in 
this  way  when  making  coats. 

It  is  possible  to  get  ready  made  patterns  for 
muffs  of  various  styles  which  will  aid  in  cutting 
and  putting  them  together.  Muff  beds  ready 
lined  and  trimmed  are  sold  by  dealers  and  some 
dry  goods  houses.  All  the  round  varieties  of 
muffs  should,  after  being  se\ved  up,  be  dampened 
and  nailed  wrong  side  out  on  a  muff  block  of 
some  kind  to  shape  them.  These  consist  of  a 
number  of  pieces  of  wood  fitted  together  so  they 
may  stretch  the  muff  to  its  full  size,  something 
on  the  order  of  a  shoe  tree.  Small  single  skins 
mounted  on  ruffled  satin  muff  beds  and  as  flat 
rug  muffs  need  not  be  blocked. 

By  way  of  ornament  heads  and  tails  are  used 
on  many  muffs.  \Yhen  large  skins  like  fox  and 


MUFFS  AND  NECKPIECES  249 

wolf  are  used  a  mounted  head  on  one  end  of  the 
muff  and  a  tail  at  the  other  looks  suitable.  With 
mink  which  require  four  to  eight  skins  there  may 
be  a  ro\v  of  tails  across  the  muff  or  heads  and 
tails  both. 


MUFF    OF    MINK    SKIN,    SHOWING    METHOD    OF    SEWING 
AND    PIECING 

Collarettes  and  fur  neck  pieces  are  greatly 
diversified.  Probably  the  simplest  is  the  animal 
shape,  made  from  a  single  large  coon,  fox  or  coy- 
ote skin.  To  get  the  proper  length  and  width  for 
this  the  skin  should  be  "dropped"  as  before  de- 
scribed, trimmed  straight  on  the  sides,  the  front 
legs  cut,  off  arid  the  holes  in  the  skin  sewed  up. 
After  the  head  is  mounted  the  skin  may  be  sewed 


250  HOME  MANUFACTURE  OF  FURS 

together  wrong  side  out,  nearly  to  the  head  and 
then  turned. 

The  scarf  may  now  be  filled  with  a  strip  of 
wadding  or  not  as  you  wish,  and  the  front  legs 
sewed  in  slits  just  back  of  the  head.  The  opening 
remaining  at  the  throat  of  the  skin  must  be 
caught  together  with  a  few  stitched  on  the  fur 
side  and  the  opening  at  the  rump  is  closed  the 
same  way. 

For  doing  this  and  sewing  up  the  leg  skins, 
use  the  ball  cover  stitch  entering  the  needle  in 
the  flesh  side  of  the  skin,  and  really  lacing  up  the 
opening.  This  stitch  should  always  be  used  when 
it  is  necessary  to  sew  furs  from  the  outside,  as  it 
is  the  least  likely  to  drawr  in  the  fur.  A  metal 
hook  and  chain  or  chocheted  loop  and  olive  for 
fastening  will  complete  the  piece.  This  is  not 
shaped  but  is  designed  to  be  wound  around  the 
neck.  Two  skins  may  be  used  in  a  similar  way 
only  joining  them  at  the  necks  and  not  mounting 
the  heads.  The  hind  paws  and  both  tails  hang 
down  in  front. 

The  above  may  be  called  neck  furs  straight, 
fur  on  both  sides,  others  are  straight,  with  the 
fur  on  one  side  only.  Shaped  collarettes  may 
also  be  either  fur  on  both  sides  or  one  only.  Sat- 
ins either  plain  or  brocaded  are  used  for  linings. 

For  the  shaped  collarettes  the  pattern  com- 
panies furnish  suitable  paper  patterns,  and  the 


MUFFS  AND  NECKPIECES  251 

skins  cut  according  to  these  are  first  sewed,  then 
nailed  out,  trimmed  and  finally  sewed  up  in  the 
complete  shape.  The  dissection  of  a  few  old  fur 
pieces  will  give  a  better  understanding  of  their 
manufacture  than  mere  words  can,  and  a  short 
time  spent  in  a  fur  shop  would  be  better  still. 

Work  out  some  sample  patterns  at  first  or 
better  still,  copy  some  piece  of  fur.  Do  not  at- 
tempt too  much,  for  many  of  the  more  ornate 
designs  are  the  work  of  long  experienced  opera- 
tors. 

The  number  of  skins  needed  to  make  either 
muff  01  neck  piece  varies  according  to  the  pat- 
tern. 

MUFF  NECKPIECE 

Skunk 4  to  8  skins  1  to    8  skins 

Raccoon 1  to  3  skins  1  to    4  skins 

Opossum    4  to  8  skins  1  to    4  skins 

Muskrat 4  to  8  skins  2  to  12  skins 

Mink  or  Marten 4  to  8  skins1  1  to  12  skins 

Wild  Cat  or  Lynx.  .  .  .1  to  2  skins  1  to    4  skins 

Fox 1  to  2  skins  1  to    4  skins 

Coyote   1  to  2  skins  1  to    2  skins 

Beaver  or  Otter 1  to  2  skins  1  to    3  skins 

CHILDREN'S  SETS 
Rabbit  or  Muskrat. .  .2  to  4  skins      2  skins 

Muff  Beds,  made  up  and  filled  with  down, 
from  28  to  32  inches  in  circumference  and  16  to 


252  HOME  MANUFACTURE  OF  FURS 

20  inches  in  length  are  sold  ready  made,  either 
with  or  without  the  silk  lining  and  trimming.  In 
making  a  circular  muff  the  skins  go  around  it 
and  if  not  28  inches  in  length  they  must  be  made 
so  by  the  dropping  process,  or  perhaps  they  are 
small  enough  so  two  of  them  joined  together  are 
30  or  32  inches  long.  The  advantage  of  having  a 
few  of  these  muff  beds  on  hand  will  be  readily 
apparent.  They  cost  at  wholesale  f  1.50  to  $12.00 
per  dozen,  and  may  be  had  in  any  desired  shape. 

In  the  process  of  finishing  these,  or  other 
pieces  of  fur,  the  linings  of  silk  or  satin  are  care- 
fully sewed  to  the  skins,  always  turning  all  raw 
edges  under.  Silk  thread  and  small  needles  are 
used  in  this  stitching,  which  a  woman's  hands 
seem  most  fitted  for.  In  fact,  "fur  finishing"  is 
a  business  in  itself  which  is  almost  entirely  in 
the  hands  of  women  and  girls. 

In  case  it  is  not  possible  to  procure  a  made 
up  muff  bed,  muffs  may  be  made  up  by  the  sketch 
herewith,  using  lining  and  wadding  only.  A  muff 
this  size  requires  two  gray  fox  or  raccoon  or  four 
muskrat  skins.  Sew  the  skins  together  in  the 
flat  to  the  proper  size  16x20  inches,  running 
round  the  muff.  They  will  turn  over  at  the  ends 
better  if  four  short  gores  are  taken  out  of  each 
side.  Sew  the  end  of  the  skins  together  and  turn 
fur  side  out.  Put  wadding  inside  the  skins  one 
or  more  layers. 


MUFFS  AND  NECKPIECES 


253 


After  the  lining  is  sewed  up,  turn  over  and 
sew  up  at  each  end  to  form  a  casing  for  an  elastic 
cord.  Gather  both  ends  on  this  cord,  insert  the 
lining  and  after  turning  the  edge  of  skins  under, 
sew  the  lining  to  them,  taking  care  that  the  lining 
is  gathered  evenly  at  the  ends. 


MUFF    AND    PATTERN 


The  beds  ready  made  and  trimmed  are  much 
easier  to  use,  as  they  have  the  wadding  and  lining 
all  adjusted,  requiring  only  the  addition  of  the 
fur  coverings. 


CHAPTEK  XXX. 

MOCCASINS  AND  PACS. 

BOTH  the  manufacture  and  name  of  these 
foot  coverings  were  adopted  from  the 
American  Indians  03^  the  early  white  set- 
tlers. A  writer  describing  the  dress  on  the  front- 
ier in  the  pre-Revolutionary  time  says: 

"A  pair  of  moccasins  answered  for  the  feet 
much  better  than  shoes.  These  were  made  of 
dressed  deer  skin.  They  were  mostly  made  of  a 
single  piece  with  a  gathering  seam  along  the  top 
of  the  foot,  and  another  from  the  bottom  of  the 
heel,  without  gathers,  as  high  as  the  ankle  joint 
or  a  little  higher.  Flaps  were  left  on  each  side  to 
reach  some  distance  up  the  legs.  These  were 
nicely  adapted  to  the  ankles  and  the  lower  part 
of  the  leg,  by  thongs  of  deer  skin,  so  that  no  dust, 
gravel  or  snow  could  get  within  the  moccasin. 

The  moccasins  in  ordinary  use  cost  but  a  few 
hours'  labor  to  make  them.  This  was  done  by  an 
instrument  denominated  a  moccasin  awl,  which 
was  made  of  the  back  spring  of  an  old  clasp  knife. 
This  awl  with  its  buck-horn  handle,  was  an  ap- 
pendage of  every  shot  pouch  strap,  together  with 
a  roll  of  buckskin  for  mending  the  moccasins. 
This  was  the  labor  of  almost  every  evening.  They 

254 


MOCCAfeiNS  AND  PACS  255 

were  sewed  together  and  patched  with  deer  skin 
thongs,  or  whangs  as  they  were  commonly  called. 

In  cold  weather  the  moccasins  were  well 
stuffed  with  deer's  hair  or  dry  leaves,  so  as  to 
keep  the  feet  comfortably  warm;  but  in  wet 
weather  it  was  usually  said  that  wearing  them 
was  a  'decent  way  of  going  barefooted/  and  such 
was  the  fact,  owing  to  the  spongy  texture  of  the 
leather  of  which  they  were  made.  Owing  to  this 
defective  covering  of  the  feet,  more  than  to  any 
other  circumstance,  the  greater  number  of  our 
hunters  were  afflicted  with  the  rheumatism  in 
their  limbs.  Our  women  in  early  times  went 
barefooted  in  warm  weather,  and  in  cold  their 
feet  were  covered  with  moccasins  or  shoepack 
which  would  make  but  a  sorry  picture  beside  the 
slippers  which  at  present  ornament  the  feet  of 
their  great  granddaughters." 

George  Catlin,  the  painter,  on  one  of  his  trips 
up  the  Missouri,  was  forced  by  low  water  to  leave 
the  steamboat  arid  set  out  on  foot  for  the  mouth 
of  the  Teton  River,  200  miles  away,  with  a  num- 
ber of  half  breeds  and  trappers.  He  says :  "On  this 
march  we  were  all  traveling  in  moccasins,  which 
being  made  without  any  soles,  according  to  In- 
dian custom,  had  but  little  support  for  the  foot 
underneath,  and  consequently  soon  subjected  us 
to  excruciating  pain  whilst  walking  according  to 
the  civilized  mode  with  toes  turned  out.  Fr->m 


256  HOME  MANUFACTURE  OF  FURS 

this  very  painful  experience  I  learned  that  man 
in  a  state  of  nature  who  walks  on  his  naked  feet 
must  walk  with  his  toes  turned  in,  that  each  may 
perform  the  duties  assigned  to  it  in  proportion 
to  its  size  and  strength,  and  that  civilized  man 
can  walk  with  his  toes  turned  out  if  he  choose 
with  a  stiff  sole  under  his  feet,  and  will  be  con- 
tent at  last  to  put  up  with  an  acquired  deformity 
of  the  big  toe  joint,  which  too  many  know  to  be  a 
frequent  and  painful  occurrence." 

The  comfort  and  utility  of  moccasins  for 
certain  purposes  is  unquestioned,  and  they  are 
sold  more  or  less  the  country  over  in  a  variety  of 
makes  and  patterns.  They  seem  specially 
Adapted  to  wear  indoors,  around  camp  and  when 
canoeing.  As  originally  .  mde  there  were  almost 
as  ma ny  patterns  as  tribes,  the  variations  being 
made  r-hiefly  to  fit  local  conditions.  Expert 
trailers  were  in  this  way  often  enabled  to  fix  the 
identiy  of  unseen  passers  by. 

The  heavy  oil-tanned  shoe  pac  is  used  chiefly 
in  the  North  by  woodsmen  for  wear  over  heavy 
knit  socks  in  very  cold  weather.  When  kept  well 
oiled  it  is  to  some  extent  water  repelling,  but 
that  is  not  essential  as  very  little  snow  melts  on 
the  feet  there  in  winter.  They  are  more  durable 
than  rubber,  resisting  snags,  etc.,  better,  and  are 
sold  by  the  regular  shoe  trade  and  sporting 
goods  dealers. 


MOCCASINS  AND  PACS 


257 


If  you  have  some  good  buckskin  (or  other 
skin  dressed  in  that  way)  it  is  not  very  difficult 
to  make  it  up  as  moccasins ;  they  will  come  handy 
to  loaf  around  the  house  in  or  wear  in  a  canoe, 
and  probably  you  would  have  no  trouble  to  give 
away  a  few  pairs  in  ladies'  sizes.  If  some  of  the 
old  style  wooden  shoe  lasts  are  to  be  had  it  is  not 
much  trouble  to  cut  suitable  patterns,  but  they 
can  be  made  without,  by  a  little  experimenting. 
The  Chippewa  and  Sioux  are  two  typicr 
styles.  The  Eastern  or  Algonquin  Indian  mor  ;i 
sins  resemble  the  Chippewa,  while  the  Sioiv«  'o 
present  the  IMaius  tribes. 

The  Cliippewa  is  composed  of  three  pieces, 
the  so7e  and  sides 
in  r  piece,  the 
vam\  a  second  and 
a  i  ;v  x  3  or  leg  a 
third.  This  last 
was  often  made  of 
heavy  cloth.  In 

CHIPPEWA    MOCCASIN    PATTERN      s  e  w  J  n  8'      m      the 

vamp    gather    the 

sides  slightly  and  if  the  leather  is  not  too  heavy 
make  the  seams  inside.  Sew  the  edges  of  the  end 
(a)  and  (b)  togther  and  turn  the  flap  (c)  up 
over  the  seam  on  the  outside  to  make  the  heel. 
Sew  the  tops  on  and  dampen  the  whole  moccasin. 
Keep  stretched  in  the  proper  shape  while  drying. 


258 


HOME  MANUFACTURE  OF  FURS 


The  orthodox  way  to  shape  a  new  pair  of  mocca- 
sins is  to  wet  them  well  then  put  them  on  and 
walk  in  them  until  dry. 

The  Plains  style  is  quite  different,  consisting 
of  three  pieces  also,  but  one,  the  sole,  is  of  raw 
hide  or  something  similar.  The  piece  of  heavy 
hide  forming  this  is  cut  to  the  shape  of  the  bot- 
tom of  the  foot,  and  in  several  pairs  of  the  Indian 
made  article  at  hand,  toeing  in  considerably.  A 
suitable  piece  of  soft  leather  for  the  upper  is  cut 
as  shown  herewith.  This 
is  sewn  to  the  upper  edge 
of  the  sole  on  the  inside. 
A  plain  seam  up  the  heel 
and  the  small  piece  X 
sewed  in  for  a  tongue, 
completes  the  sewing,  and 
t  h  e  moccasin  in  ay  be 
turned  right  side  out.  It 
should  be  gathered  slight- 
ly in  stitching  the  sole 
and  upper  together 
around  the  toe;  these 
sioux  OR  PLAINS  MOO.  gather  s  disappear  on 

CASIT1^    PATTERN  . 

dampening  and  stretching. 
Both  these  patterns  of  moccasins  are  fast- 
ened by  leather  thongs  run  through  a  series  of 
slits  at  the  ankle.    The  Indian  made  article  was 
frequently  decorated  on  the  vamps  with  beads, 


MOCCASINS  AND  PACS 


259 


shells  and  colored  porcupine  quills.  Sometimes 
the  entire  upper  except  around  the  ankle  was  a 
solid  mass  of  bead  designs.  In  some  cases  a  piece 
of  cloth  was  sewn  to  the  leather  to  furnish  a 
ground  for  beadwork.  Bright  embroidery  silks 
look  very  nice  on  well  dressed  skins,  and  are  used 
on  most  of  the  fancy  moccasins  sold  at  stores. 

While  there  would  be  but  little  money  in 
making  these  things  for  actual  use  they  are  in 
demand  as  souvenirs  and  can,  especially  the 
smaller  sizes,  be  made  up  out  of  scraps  of  no 
value  for  other  purposes.  Sometimes  too,  a  hun- 
ter may  kill  a  deer  and  wish  to  remember  a  num- 
ber of  friends  with  little  presents  after  having 
the  heart  and  horns  mounted.  The  feet  may  be 
set,  up  in  four  ornamental  novelties  and  the  hide 
would  furnish  certainly 
four  assorted  pairs  of  moc- 
casins'. 

T  h  e  moccasin  pattern 
here  shown  is  made  and  sold 
by  A.  F.  Wallace,  and  it's  a 
good  one.  It  is  not  neces- 
sary  to  always  have  buck- 
Jt,J  Viu/  skin  for  mocks.  Good  ten 
or  tweive  oz  duck  will  wear 


slippers,  the  so  called  cham- 
ois skins  of  a  sheep's  back,  do  very  well.    No  one 


260  HOME  MANUFACTURE  OF  FURS 

<*an  appreciate  moccasins  until  they  have  worn 
them.  If  you  rub  your  duck  with  paraffin  wax, 
Hien  iron  it  with  a  warm  flatirou,  it  will  be  water 
proof,  and  the  Avear  will  surprise  you.  Of  course 
buckskin  is  the  proper  thing,  but  sometimes  it  is 
»n  a  buck's  back,  traveling  through  the  timber. 

Jf  you  are  using  mocks  in  snow,  your  wool 
*ocks  will  curl  down  over  the  top  edge,  forming 
(he  finest  kind  of  a  snow  excluder.  So  doirt 
worry  about  high  moccasins,  for  snowshoeing  or 
skiing. 

When  first  wearing  them,  anything  you  step 
on  will  hurt  your  feet.  If  you  sew  an  extra  thick- 
ness on  the  bottom  for  a  tap,  letting  51  oome  well 
up  on  the  sides,  you  will  do  away  with  this  trou- 
ble. They  are  a  good  deal  like  "cracker  jack," 
the  more  you  eat,  the  more  you  want,  or  the  more 
you  wear  mocks,  the  more  you  will. 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

UTILIZING   FUR   WASTE. 

DURING  the  manufacture  of  furs  there  is 
necessarily  much  unavoidable  waste  in 
the  form  of  small  pieces,  clippings  and 
round  ings  as  well  as  skins  damaged  and  partially 
destroyed  through  improper  treatment.  All 
these  are  not  allowed  to  become  a  total  loss  but 
are  carefuly  saved  and  sold  to  the  dealers  in 
fur  cuttings  after  sorting  into  their  several 
varieties. 

Many  of  these  scraps  are  bought  by  dealers 
in  hatter's  furs.  The  best  hatter's  fur  is  cut  from 
the  whole  skin,  is  plucked  to  remove  the  guard 
hairs  and  chemically  treated  to  facilitate  felting. 
The  hatter's  fur  obtained  from  fur  cutter's  waste 
is  known  as  blown  fur.  The  cuttings  are  run 
through  a  chopping  machine  and  cut  into  small 
pieces  and  afterwards  blown  to  separate  the  fur 
from  the  overhairs  and  pieces  of  skin.  Blown  fur 
is  much  shorter  and  less  desirable  than  that  cut 
or  clipped  from  the  skins. 

Muskrat,  fur  seal,  otter,  beaver  and  mink  are 
all  used  in  this  way.  Some  years  ago  the  prices 
for  cuttings  ran  about  as  follows : 

261 


2t>2  HOME  MANUFACTURE  OF  FURS 

Mink,  Fur  Seal 15c  per  Ib. 

Muskrat 35c  to  40c  per  Ib. 

Otter 45c  per  Ib. 

Beaver $1.00  to  $1.25  per  Ib. 

Many  pieces  and  cuttings  are  used  in  other 
ways.  Scraps  of  fur  seal  and  muskrat  are  pieced 
together,  dyed  a  uniform  shade  and  made  up  in 
cheap  furs.  These  are  genuine  furs  but  the  many 
seams  and  the  application  of  dye  to  the  threads 
after  sewing  makes  them  very  short-lived.  I  have 
seen  a  large  robe  composed  entirely  of  muskrat 
clippings,  set  together  with  light  and  dark  fur 
allernating.  This  was  in  the  natural  undyed 
state. 

A  mink  robe,  said  by  the  owner  to  be  fifty 
years  old  was  brought  in  for  repairs.  The  thread 
was  giving  way  and  the  fur  was  considerably 
faded,  but  otherwise  its  condition  was  good, 
though  made  of  scraps. 

Such  trimmings  are  sometimes  made  into 
linings  where  an  even  color  is  not  necessary, 
warmth  being  the  chief  requisite.  Small  fur 
heads  used  in  trimming  are  chiefly  made  from 
scraps,  as  are  the  fur  covered  buttons.  Brush 
makers  use  parts  of  some  skins  in  the  production 
of  artist's  pencils. 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

CLEANING,  REPAIRING  AND  STORING  FURS. 

THIS  branch  of  the  fur  business,  while  not 
cutting  much  of  a  figure,  will  frequently 
prove  the  source  of  a  small  but  steady  in- 
come. As  long  as  furs  continue  to  be  worn  they 
\vill  require  to  be  cleaned  and  repaired,  and 
people  are  coming  more  and  more  accustomed 
to  having  their  furs  stored  and  cared  for  during 
the  warmer  months  of  the  year. 

Professional  cleaners  claim  that  fur  cleaning 
is  one  of  the  most  risky  branches  of  their  busi- 
ness, as  such  articles  cannot  be  treated  like  or- 
dinary textile  fabrics,  and  are  often  of  great 
value.  Nearly  all  furs  (that  is,  manufactured 
skins),  should  be  chemically  cleaned,  though  in 
some  cases  soap  and  water  can  be  employed  t<« 
advantage. 

In  chemical  clearing  or  washing  in  gasolin'v 
such  cleaning  is  based  upon  the  solvent  power  for 
grease  which  it  p'ossesses.  Most  discoloration^ 
of  garments,  both  textile  and  fur,  consist  of  dint 
held  by  grease  of  various  kinds  collected  during 
tl;e  wearing.  By  removing  the  grease  the  dirt  is 
released  and  the  stains  disappear. 

263 


264  HOME  MANUFACTURE  OF  FURS 

Gasoline  vaporizes  at  ordinary  temperatures, 
and  such  vapor  is  not  absorbed  by  the  atmosphere 
but  seeks  the  floor  level,  where  it  will  flow  in  the 
directiour  of  any  air  currents  which  may  be  pres- 
ent. If  this  stream  of  vapor  should  come  in  con- 
tact with  a  flame  in  another  room  even,  it  would 
produce  an  immediate  explosion  and  carry  the 
fire  back  to  the  bulk  of  the  cleaner  being  used. 
This  mixture  of  gasoline,  vapor  and  air  is  what, 
by  ignition  in  the  cylinders  of  the  automobile 
engine,  furnishes  such  dynamic  power.  Cleaning 
with  gasoline  in  the  ordinary  dwelling  is  a  dan- 
gerous proceeding  and  should  be  conducted  with 
care  anywhere. 

So  called  spontaneous  firing  sometimes  oc- 
curs, due  to  the  generation  of  electric  sparks. 
The  rubbing  or  moving  quickly  of  various  mate- 
rials in  this  volatile  liquid  may  produce  electric- 
sparks,  especially  in  frosty  weather  and  when  the 
air  is  dry.  The  addition  of  benzine  soap  in  small 
quantities  tends  to  prevent  such  sparking,  and  it 
also  aids  in  the  cleaning  process. 

All  furs  to  be  cleaned  should  be  examined  to 
ascertain  if  they  are  torn  or  ripped,  or  if  any 
matches  have  gotten  into  them.  Large,  coarse 
skins  used  as  rugs  should  have  the  heavy  linings 
ripped  out  before  cleaning,  as  they  will  soak  up 
and  waste  much  expensive  material  otherwise. 
Such  skins  like  bear,  tiger,  leopard,  sheep,  goat 


TWENTY-TWO    RAW    SILVER    FOX    SKINS   VALUE    THOUS- 
ANDS   OF    DOLLARS 


265 


266  HOME  MANUFACTURE  OF  FURS 

and  dog,  after  being  freed  of  lining  are  to  be 
washed  in  gasoline,  wrung  out,  rinsed  in  clean, 
wrung  out  and  drummed  with  sawdust  or 
meal  until  the  fur  is  dry.  Then  hang  in  the  open 
air  or  sun  if  possible  to  eA'aporate  the  fumes,  beat 
well  and  after  replacing  the  Clings,  comb  out. 
If  the  rug  has  a  full  mounted  head  it,  the  head, 
should  not  be  immersed  iu  gasoline  but  cleaned 
with  a  brush.  All  furs  shoald  be  absolutely  dry 
and  freed  from  aii  dust  by  thoroughly  beating 
before  cleaning. 

In  cleaning  white  furs  especially,  benzine 
soap  is  useful,  though  if  it  cannot  be  procured 
ready  made  from  chemical  dealers  it  may  be  dis- 
pensed with,  as  it  is  hardly  worth  while  to  make 
it  unless  a  considerable  work  of  this  character 
is  contemplated. 

A  solid  benzine  soap  is  made  by  putting 
about  81/;?  Ibs.  of  white  olein  in  an  enameled  ket- 
tle and  while  stirring  pour  in  gradually  one 
pound  of  25%  ammonia.  Stir  for  three-fourths 
of  an  hour  until  it  becomes  hard.  To  use  mix  a 
small  amount  into  paste  with  benzine  and  brush 
on  the  object  to  be  cleaned.  A  little  is  added  to 
the  washing  gasoline  also. 

White  furs,  muffs,  collarettes,  etc.,  are 
washed  without  removing  the  linings  either  with 
or  without  soap,  brushed  and  rinsed  twice,  wring- 
ing after  each  rinse.  Then  work  or  drum  in 


CLEANING,  REPAIRING  AND  STORING  267 

warm  starch  powder,  potato  or  farina  flour  or 
talcum  powder.  Powdered  gypsum  leaves  a 
gritty  feeling  in  the  fur  and  should  not  be  used 
on  fine  furs.  After  cleaned  furs  are  quite  dry 
they  should  be  entirely  freed  from  any  cleaning 
powder  by  beating,  brushing  and  combing  before 
wrapping  up.  Of  course  curly  furs  like  angora 
and  astrachan  should  never  be  combed. 

In  regard  to  repairing  furs  it  may  lie  truth- 
fully said  that  "a  stitch  in  time  saves  nine,"  and 
nothing  spoils  the  appearance  of  a  fine  piece  of 
fur  more  than  a  neglected  rip  or  tear.  Be  sure 
and  give  all  work  of  this  class  thorough  inspec- 
tion, as  furs  are  often  in  a  condition  which  the 
owner  does  not  suspect.  What  appears  to  be 
whole  skins  may  in  reality  be  composed  of  small 
pieces,  or  many  rips  and  tears  be  hidden  by  a 
heavy  pelage. 

All  skin  sewing  should  be  done  from  the 
back,  so  the  ripping  and  resewing  of  linings 
should  be  calculated  on.  To  repair  garments  by 
replacing  worn  parts  with  new  skins  is  difficult 
to  do  properly.  Sometimes  it  becomes  necessary 
to  cut  it  down,  that  is,  shorten  a  coat  or  shorten 
or  narrow  a  collarette  slightly,  and  use  the  best 
of  what  is  trimmed  off  to  repair  worn  places. 
Rugs  and  laprobes  that  are  in  use  require  to 
have  their  linings  and  borders  renewed  occasion- 
ally to  prolong  their  usefulness.  Collarette 


268  HOME  MANUFACTURE  OF  FURS 

chains,  hooks  and  muff  guards  are  lost,  broken 
and  altogether  minor  repairs  aggregate  quite  an 
item.  Collars  and  cuffs  of  new  fur  will  go  far 
toward  freshening  up  an  old  coat. 

For  storing  quantities  of  furs,  cold  storage 
space  is  best,  but  an  ordinary  room  may  be  made 
use  of,  if  it  is  dry,  cool  and  not  too  light.  All 
furs  received  for  storage  should  have  tags  written 
in  ink  sealed  on  in  the  owner's  presence,  and 
have  a  valuation  set  on  them  at  the  same  time  so 
they  may  be  insured.  The  condition,  any  dam- 
age or  need  of  repair  should  Ite  noted  on  the  stor- 
age tags.  Heat  the  furs  oat  well  before  hanging 
away. 

The  chief  insect  enemy  of  garment  furs  is 
the  larva  of  several  species  of  moths*.  The  ma- 
ture winged  specimens  do  no  damage,  but  from 
their  eggs  are  hatched  the  tiny  white  worms 
which  delight  in  shaving  the  fur  from  skins,  both 
raw  and  dressed.  The  dermestes  or  "bacon 
beetle-'  chiefly  attacks  raw  skins  and  hides  but 
the  moth  is  more  impartial,  browsing  alike  on 
carpets,  hangings,  cloth  and  fur  garments. 

Such  things  cannot  have  their  entire  surface 
poisoned  as  the  taxidermist  treats  mounted  spec- 
imens, on  account  of  the  danger  to  those  wearing 
or  handling  them.  The  moth  larva  is  most  de- 
structive in  the  warm  months,  from  May  to  Oc- 
tober, but  in  heated  rooms  the  work  may  continue 


CLEANING,  ItEL'AlKlNti  AND  STOKING  269 

through  the  winter  months.  They  are  killed  by 
immersion  in  benzine  or  exposure  to  the  fumes  of 
carbon  bisulphide. 

The  ordinary  wall  showcases  for  garments 
answer  very  well  for  storing  a  few  furs,  and  ad- 
ditional cases  of  the  same  shape  may  be  made  of 
tongue  and  grooved  boards  with  close  fitting 
wooden,  instead  of  glass  doors.  Hang  all  furs  in 
these  cases  on  suitable  hangers  and  leave  exposed 
in  the  bottom  of  the  cases  a  quantity  of  naphtha- 
line crystals  or  pure  gum  camphor,  either  of 
which  disseminate  fumes  distasteful  to  the  moth 
family.  If  the  glass  front  cases  are  used  cover 
the  furs  with  muslin,  as  a  strong  continuous  light 
tends  to  fade  most  dark  furs. 

If  an  entire  room  is  used,  equip  it  with  poles 
like  curtain  poles  on  which  to  hook  hangers. 
Keep  it  dark  and  carry  an  electric  torch  when 
visiting  it.  Make  it  a  rule  to  require  two  or 
three  days'  notice,  when  furs  are  withdrawn  from 
storage,  as  they  should  be  beaten,  combed  and 
well  aired  before  returning. 


CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

PRICES   FOE  TANNING  AND  OTHER  FUR   WORK. 

THERE  is  naturally  considerable  range  in 
the  charges  for  work  of  this  nature,  de- 
pendent on  the  condition  of  the  material, 
etc.  This  is  not  always  so  apparent  to  the  gen- 
eral public  as  to  the  skin  expert,  and  often  the 
best  that  can  be  done  is  to  strike  an  average  that 
will  let  the  good  jobs  make  up  for  the  unprofit- 
able ones.  There  is,  too,  always  the  satisfaction 
of  work  well  done.  To  the  beginner  especially, 
the  usual  charges  for  skin  dressing  seem  trivial 
compared  to  the  amount  of  labor  expended.  With 
practice  the  work  can  be  finished  off  much  more 
rapidly  and  the  local  workman  can  nearly  always 
get  an  advance  on  the  rates  of  a  professional  at  a 
distance.  A  customer  is  nearly  always  willing 
to  pay  the  regular  rates  plus  the  express  charges 
to  the  nearest  large  establishment;  if  the  work 
is  what  it  should  be. 

The  annexed  list  gives  the  usual  range  of 
charges,  the  lowest  figure  being  for  the  small 
skins  of  the  kind  and  in  good  condition  and  the 
highest  for  those  not  so  well  handled  or  the  very 
largest  in  size. 

270 


PRICKS  FOR  TANNING  AND  FUR  WORK          271 


BEATING   BEAVER  SKINS  FOR  REMOVING  SAWDUST,   ETC. 
TANNING   PRICES 

Badger fO.50  to  fO.75 

Beaver 75  to     1 . 00 

Bears — 

Black 1.00  to     4.00 

Polar  4.00  to  12.00 

Grizzly 2.00  to     6.00 

Cats- 
House  . .  .  25 


272  HOME  MANUFACTURE  OF  FURS 

Tats — Continued 

Wild $0.50  to  $1.00 

Ringtail 25 

.  «o\v   5 . 00  to  8 . 00 

'alf   1.00  to  3.00 

Deer 1  .00  to  2.50 

Fawn 50  to  1.00 

Dogs    50  to  3.00 

Elk   3.00  to  5.00 

Fisher    75  to  1 . 00 

Foxes — 

Gray 50  to  .75 

Red 50  to  .75 

Kit 25  to  .50 

White    75  to  1.00 

Silver 1  . 00  to  1 . 50 

Goats — 

Common 1.00  to  2.00 

Angora 1 . 50  to  2 . 50 

Hare 15 

Horse 5.00  to  8.00 

Jaguar 1.00  to  3.00 

Leopard 1 . 00  to  2 . 50 

Lion 3 . 00  to  6 . 00 

Lynx 75  to  1 . 00 

Marten 25  to  .50 

Mink 25  to  .50 

Moose 3 . 00  to  6 . 00 

Mole .10 


PRICES  FOR  TANNING  AND  FUR  WORK          273 

Muskrat    $0.10  to  $0.25 


Opossum   

.10 

to 

.25 

Otter   

.75 

to 

1 

.00 

Puma  

1 

.00 

to 

3 

.00 

Rabbit  

.10 

to 

.15 

"Raccoon  

.35 

to 

.75 

Seal  — 

Hair  

1 

.00 

Wool  

1 

.00 

Sheep  

1 

.00 

to 

2 

.50 

Lambs   

.50 

to 

1 

.50 

Sk,Tnk   ,.... 

.35 

to 

.50 

Civet  iSkunk  

.25 

Squirrels  

.  25 

Tiger   

3 

.00 

to 

8 

.00 

Weasels  

.10 

"Wolves  — 

Timber  

1 

.00 

to 

1 

.25 

Covotes   

.75 

to 

1 

.00 

Wolverine  

1 

.00 

Woodchuek  

.25 

TANNING   LEATHER. 

Cow  and  Horse,  for  glove  leather 

5 

.00 

to 

8 

.00 

Deer,  Sheep,  Goat,  for  buckskin. 

1 

.00 

to 

1 

.50 

Alligator  — 

To  3  ft.  in  length  

1 

.00 

3  to  4  ft.  in  length  

1 

.50 

to 

2 

.00 

4  to  5  ft.  in  length  

2 

.00 

to 

3 

.00 

274  HOME  MA  X  L  FACT  U IlE  OF  FU US 

Alligator — Continued 

5  to  7  ft.  in  length $3.00  to  $5.00 

Snake — 

Under  4  ft 50  to     1 . 00 

4  to  T  ft 1.25  to     2.50 

Over  7  ft 3.00  to  10.00 

DYEING  (BLACK  OR  BROWN) 

Cattle  and  Horse 2 . 50 

Goat 75  to     2 . 50 

Coyote 1.00 

Mink 35 

Marten 35 

Fox 1.00 

Muskrat 25 

Sheep 75  to     1 . 50 

Dog 75  to     1 . 50 

Calf 75  to     1 . 50 

Wolf , 1.50 

Skunk 50 

Opossum 35 

Lynx 1 . 50 

Raccoon 50  to       ,75 

Wild  Cat   1.00 

House  Cat 50 

MISCELLANEOUS 

Fur  Purses,  small 25  to       .50 

Fur  Hand  Bags,  small 75  to     1.50 


PRICES  FOR  TANNING  AND  FUR  WORK         275 
MISCELLANEOUS — CONTINUED 

Snake  Hand  Bags  $1 . 00  to  f 2 . 50 

Snake  Purses  or  Matchholders. .      .50  to    1.00 
Buckskin,  Calf  or  Fawn  Vests ...   4 . 00 

Moccasins,  plain,  per  pair 1 . 00 

Snake  Belts 2 . 50 

Snake  Hat  Bands 1 . 00 

Plain  Mittens  from  horse,   cow, 

calf  or  dog  skins,  per  pair . .   1 . 00 
Gauntlet  Mittens  from  same. ...   1.50 

Leather  Mittens 50 

Gauntlet  Mittens,  coon  or  musk- 
rat    3.50 

Gauntlet  Gloves,  coon  or  muskrat  4.50 
Gauntlet  Gloves  from  horse,  cow, 

calf  or  dog  skins 2 .25 

Fur  Caps,  according  to  material, 
from  horse,  or  cow  hide  to 
muskrat  at  $4.00  and  mink . .   6 . 00 
Ladies'    Auto    Hoods    and    Soft 

Hats,  according  to  material.  5.00  to  12.00 
Fur  Collars 2.50  to  3.50 

FUR  COATS. 

On  these  the  charges  will  run  from  say  $8.00 
on  a  man's  coat  of  cow  hide  to  $200.00  for  a  lady's 
long  mink  coat.  Ladies'  short  coats  in  the 
coarser  furs  are  made  up  for  $12.00  to  $15.00  each 
which  is  about  what  is  charged  for  men's  in  rac- 


276  HUME  MANUFACTURE  OF  FURS 

coon  or  wild  cat  furs.  At  these  figures  the  lin- 
iugs,etc.,  are  furnished,  but  the  cost  of  tanning 
must  be  added. 

«uidng  fur  lined  coats  costs  from  $20.00  to 
|40.00  each  in  coarse  hides,  like  cow  or  horse, 
and  flOO.OO  to  $150.00  in  skins  like  mink,  ac- 
cording to  the  grade  of  material  used  in  the  cover. 
These  figures  are  in  addition  to  the  tanning. 

In  the  matter  of  muffs  and  neckpieces  there 
is  the  greatest  variation,  owing  to  the  different 
patterns  and  the  varying  number  of  skins  re- 
quired. With  the  dressing  charges  included, 
muffs  cost  iTom  $2.50  to  $3.00  for  children's  to 
$5.00,  $10.00  and  even  $25.00  for  lady's  sizes. 
The  extreme  prices  are  of  course  for  work  requir- 
ing a  number  of  fine  skins  like  mink  or  marten. 

On  neckpieces  the  range  is  as  great,  from  the 
plain  lined  neck  band  made  from  one  small  skin 
for  $2.00  to  the  mink  or  marten  shawl  of  a  dozen 
skins  or  over,  for  the  construction  of  which  $35.00 
will  hardly  pay.  Sets  of  fox  or  raccoon  in  com 
mon  shapes  usually  cost  about  $15.00  for  making 
both  neckpiece  and  muff. 

FUR  ROBES. 

This  is  an  article  the  cost  of  making  can  be 
vlosely  estimated,  any  variation  being  due  to  ex- 
tra size  or  quality  of  linings.  They  are  ordinarily 
made  with  a  single  felt  border  and  black  or  green 


TRICES  FOll  TANNING  AND  FUK  WORK          277 

plush  lining-,  and  these  prices  are  based  on  such 
material,  not  including-  the  tanning  charges. 

Horse  or  Cow  Skin fS.OO 

Calf,  Dog,  Goat  or  Sheep 5.00  to  $0.00 

Fox,  Coon,  Wild  Cat 9.00  to  10.00 

Wolf,  Coyote 8.50 

Muskrat  ..  .  .15.00  to  20.00 


WILD   CAT  RUG,   OPEN   MOUTH 
ANIMAL  FUR  RUGS. 

The  prices  given  are  for  lining  all  rugs  not 
larger  than  a  fox  with  all  felt  and  trimming  with 
a  double  border  of  same.  Large  skins  to  have 
the  double  felt  border  but  lined  with  art  denim 
or  canvas. 


278  HOME  MANUFACTURE  OF  FURS 

Rugs  wanted  with  open  mouths  must  have 
the  natural  teeth  with  them,  or  an  extra  charge 
must  be  made. 

CLOSED  OPEN 

NAME  MOUTH  MOUTH 

Fox,  raccoon,  badger,  wild  cat, 

house  cat  f  4 . 50  $5 . 50 

Lynx,  coyote,  wolverine 5.00  ft. 00 

Timber  wolf 6.00  7.00 

Dogs,  according  to  size 4.00-10.00  5.00-15.00 

Puma,  jaguar,  leopard 10.00  12.00 

Bear,  brown  or  black   12.00  15.00 

Bear,  polar  or  griz/ly 1 6 . 00  20 . 00 

Tiger,  lion  .... 20.00  25.00 

Deer 10.00 

Goat 8.00 

For  cleaning  furs,  such  as1  a  muff  or  neck- 
piece of  white  fox,  the  charge  is  $1.00  for  a  single 
piece  or  $1.50  for  the  set.  Other  cleaning  is 
charged  for  according  to  the  amount  of  material 
and  labor  necessary.  To  clean  a  polar  bear  rug 
is  well  worth  the  fS.OO  to  |8.00  usually  asked. 
Storage  charges  depend  considerably  on  the  value 
of  the  furs  charged,  and  are  so  much  per  month, 
with  a  minimum  charge  of  25  or  50  cents. 

Repairs  and  orders  for  new  work  sent  in 
during  the  dull  season  are  usually  figured  at  a 
much  lower  rate  than  when  left  until  the  last 
moment,  before  they  are  wanted. 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

APPENDIX. 

THE  variety  of  tools  and  materials  mem- 
tioned  as  being  useful  or  indispensable  to 
the  home  manufacturer  of  furs  makes  a 
list  that  is  bewildering  to  the  beginner  perhaps. 
Well  all  of  them  are  not  needed  at  once,  fortun- 
ately. 

"Where  can  I  get  them?"  some  one  says. 
There  are  dealers  in  furrier's  supplies  who  handle 
nearly  all  except  the  chemical  supplies  for  fur 
dressing,  but  many  of  the  necessaries  are  to  be 
had  near  home  as  readily  if  we  look  for  them  in 
the  right  place.  The  grocery  store  will  furnish 
soaps,  lye  or  potash,  borax,  salt  and  often  quite 
a  list  of  other  things,  depending  on  the  proprie- 
tor's ideas  of  what  a  grocerj7  should  be.  Water 
is  to  be  had  most  anywhere,  but  not  always  the 
best  water  for  the  purpose.  On  the  subject  of 
water,  soap,  etc.,  a  practical  man  says: 

"Two  very  important  things,  and  I  might 
say  the  most  important  of  all,  are  the  soap  and 
water  used  in  the  processes  here  mentioned.  If 
you  wish  to  make  a  good  job,  the  water  must  be 
soft,  i.  e.,  'either  rain  or  soft  river  water.'  Be 

279 


280 


HOME  MANUFACTURE  OF  FURS 


sure  spring  water  is  soft  if  you  use  it.  Rain 
water  is  best  of  all.  A  simple  test  for  the  hard- 
ness of  the  water  is  soap,  the  common  cheap  bar 
kind.  Take  a  piece  and  a  dish  of  cold  water 
wash  your  hands  in  it,  using-  plenty  of  the  above 
soap;  if  it  curdles,  it  is  unfit  for  use  in  tanning 
(or  anything  else)  although  it  can  be  used  for 
drinking  and  cooking  purposes.  Neither  in  such 
water  can  you  cure  meat  for  smoking. 

As  before  mentioned,  the  soap  comes  next. 
in    importance,   aii.l    the 
best    of   all    is    the    old- 
fashioned     soft     soap, 
made    by    the    old-time 
farmers,  by  setting  up  a 
barrel   or   leach    with   a. 
little  coarse  straw  in  the 
bottom  through  which  a 
half  dozen  one  inch  holes 
have  been  bored.     Then 
fill  with  good  hardwood 
ashes,  set  up  on  a  tight 
bench     eighteen     inches 
high,  in  which  a  groove 
has  been  cut  about  one- 
half  inch  deep,  around  the  bottom  of  the  barrel 
where  it  rests  on  the  platform,  and  leaking  into 
the  spot  where  you  wish  to  catch  the  leak  ings 
from  the  barrel.    Soft  water  poured  into  the  top 


BARREL 


ASH     LEACH 


A1TENWX  281 

of  the  barrel,  into  a  pan  shaped  hole  in  the  ashes, 
will  in  a  few  hours  produce  the  best  kind  of  lye 
for  your  soap. 

Take  a  twelve  quart  pail  full  of  lye,  bring; 
(o  a  boil  and  add  grease  enough  in  the  shape  of 
ham  or  bacon  rinds,  bones  and  any  old  grease 
l  animal  not  mineral)  until  the  mixture  is  the 
consist  (nicy  of  jelly  when  cold.  More  soap  can 
be  made  by  usjng  more  of  the  material  in  propor- 
tion; if  too  thin  bring  up  to  a  boil,  and  add  more 
grease,  and  if  too  thick  add  more  lye;  let  it  boil 
two  hours,  stirring  constantly,  before  taking 
sample  to  cool. 

This  is  the  best  soap  ever  except  for  wounds. 
Assuming  you  haven't  a  leach  or  ashes  for  mak- 
ing the  lye,  then  use  the  following:  To  ten 
pounds  of  grease  take  eight  and  a  half  pounds  of 
pure  white  potash,  (buy  the  latter  in  fine  lumps) 
place  the  potash  in  the  bottom  of  a  good  strong 
water-tight  barrel,  boil  the  grease  and  pour  it 
boiling  liot  on  the  potash,  then  add  one  pail  of 
boiling  water  and  stir  all  together.  The  next 
morning,  add  one  pail  cold  water  and  stir  one- 
half  hour.  Continue  this  until  the  barrel  con- 
tains eighteen  gallons.  Let  stand  one  week  and 
it  is  ready  for  use.  The  potash  can  be  added  to 
the  grease  or  vice  versa,  but  each  must  be  done 
while  boiling.  By  adding  another  one-half  pound 
resin,  you  have  the  old-fashioned  soap,  and  it  can 


282  HOME  MANUFACTURE  OF  FUK.S 

be  run  into  cakes.  But  for  tanning,  leave  tli« 
resin  out. 

While  we  are  around  bothering  the  grocer, 
we  might  as  well  get  some  wooden  lard  tubs  and 
a  vinegar  barrel  or  so  for  tan  vats,  and  if  he  has 
some  empty  boxes  a  few  of  them  will  be  useful 
to  make  fur  stretchers,  cleaning  drums  and  trays 
of.  Corn  meal  and  bran  for  cleaning  and  tan- 
ning come  from  the  feed  store  and  gasoline  from 
grocery,  paint  store  or  garage.  Quite  an  assort- 
ment of  tools  may  be  selected  at  almost  any 
hardware  dealers,  though  it  is  not  likely  that 
special  tanners'  and  dressers'  tools  can  be  had 
there. 

Some  of  the  useful  chemicals  such  as  sul- 
phate of  iron,  sulphate  of  copper,  sulphate,  bi- 
carbonate and  hyposulphate  of  soda,  are  to  be 
had  of  dealers  in  agricultural  or  veterinary  sup- 
plies. In  procuring  chemicals  for  tanning  at  a 
drug  house  it  is  well  to  remember  that  what  is 
known  as  the  commercial  quality  is  as  suitable 
for  such  use  as  the  C.  P.  or  chemically  pure,  and 
usually  much  cheaper.  Alcohol,  lime,  calcined  or 
plaster  of  Paris,  sandpaper  and  a  number  of 
other  things  can  be  bought  with  the  most  econ- 
omy of  the  paint  dealer. 

Modeling  clay  is  furnished  by  dealers  in  ar- 
tist's material,  but  the  blue  or  white  clay  from 
a  pottery  is  just  as  good,  or  you  may  get  it  from 


AITEXDIX  283 

the  bank  yourself  if  it  is  convenient.  That  pre- 
pared for  use  has  been  freed  from  lumps  and  grit. 

Any  enterprising  dry  goods  house  will  pro- 
vide a  fair  assortment  of  lining  material,  thread, 
etc.,  and  patterns  for  muffs,  collarettes,  caps, 
etc.,  may  be  bought  there  or  ordered  by  mail  from 
the  pattern  companies.  Of  course  the  goods  most 
suitable  or  the  easiest  to  use  may  not  be  in 
stock,  but  probably  some  suitable  substitute  will 
be  at  hand  which  may  possibly  answer  as  well  or 
better.  Colored  felts  are  handled  by  dealers  in 
upholstery,  as  are  the  art  denims.  Heavy  coat- 
ing material  is*  often  substituted  for  plush  as 
robe  lining,  and  the  overall  variety  of  denim 
cannot  be  beat  for  wear  as  lining  for  large  rugs. 
Of  late  years  it  has  been  possible  to  procure  ready 
to  use  muff  beds  from  some  of  the  large  dry  goods 
houses,  as  they  are  in  demand  for  use  in  making 
muffs  of  some  of  the  new  "fur  cloths."  These 
cloths,  such  as  "astrachan,"  "pony  skin"  and 
others,  make  beautiful  robe  linings. 

A  few  items  are  never  found  in  stock  except 
at  dealers  in  taxidermists'  and  furriers'  supplies, 
such  as  skin  worker's  tools,  fur  knives  and  combs, 
muff  blocks,  artificial  head  forms*,  glass  eyes  and 
special  fur  dyes.  In  the  United  Slates,  New 
York  City  and  Montreal  in  British  America  are 
the  headquarters  for  dealers  in  furriers'  supplies. 


FUR-FISH-GAME 

A  Practical  Monthly  Magazine  for  Outdoorsmen  Devoted  to 
Hunting,  Trapping,  Fishing,  Fur  Farming,  Etc. 

pur,  :v  FUR  FISH  GAME  IS  just  the 

magazine  you  have  been  looking 
for.  It  is  edited  by  none  other 
than  Mr.  Harding,  whose  name 
is  a  byword  in  the  sporting  field. 
Each  monthly  issue  contains  64  to 
100  pages  chock-full  of  interesting 
articles,  illustrated  with  actual  pho- 
tos on  HUNTING,  TRAPPING, 
FISHING,  FUR  FARMING,  etc. 
Each  issue  also  has  many  depart- 
ments —  The  Gun  Rack;  Dogs; 
Fur  Raising;  Roots  and  Herbs; 
Fish  and  Tackle;  Fur  Markets; 
Fur  Prices;  Trapline;  American 


Trappers  Association;  Coon  Hunt- 
In  actual  colors.  ing;  ^  Question  Box 

Price  $3.50  a  year,  35c  a  copy. 
Buy  a  copy  on  the  news  stand  or  send  TODAY  for  our 

SPECIAL  GET  ACQUAINTED  OFFER 

4  Months— #1.00 
Good  only  if  you  mention  book  in  which  you  saw  this  offer. 

Send  name  and  address  with  proper  remittance  either  cash, 
stamps  or  money  order  to — 

FUR-FISH-GAME 

(Harding's  Magazine) 
2878  E.  Main  St.  Columbus,  Ohio  43209 


3001  Questions  and  Answers 

This  Book  Contains  Much  Valuable  Information  for  Hunters, 

Trappers   and   Outdoor   People  in   General   and   Could 

Properly  be  Called  an  Encyclopedia  of  Information. 

r~-_ ;-- n  r-|-^HE  Author,  A.  R.   Harding,  in  his  in- 

I  troduction  to  this  book  says:  "If  one 
I  JL  could  meet  and  talk  with  people  from 
all  parts  of  North  America,  they  could  get 
a  vast  amount  of  information  and  a  pretty 
good  idea  of  almost  any  subject.  While  no 
one  knows  it  all,  yet  if  a  person  could  ask 
a  few  thousand  questions  and  get  satisfac- 
tory and  correct  answers  they  would  be- 
come a  'Walking  Dictionary'." 

The  information  contained  in  this  book 
was  collected  by  A.  R.  Harding  extending 
over  a  period  of  several  years,  being  large- 
ly questions  answered  by  Hunters,  Traders, 
Trappers,  Guides,  etc.,  living  in  various 
parts  of  the  United  States,  Canada  and 
Alaska. 


If  you  want  handy  information  on  almost  any  subject  pertain- 
ing to  Outdoor  Life,  this  book,  I  believe,  will  furnish  it.  Among 
the  more  important  headings  (where  from  50  to  500  questions 
and  answers  are  published)  are  the  following: 


Animals — Big  Game. 
Animals — Domestic. 
Animals — Furbearing. 
Animals — Non-Furbear- 

ing. 

Baits,  Poison,  Scents. 
Bees  and  Beeswax. 
Birds. 

Boats  and  Canoes. 
Camp  Cooking  and 

Provisions. 
Camping  and  Trapping 

Outfits. 

Dogs — Hunting. 
Dogs— Diseases. 
Dogs — Training  and 

Breaking. 


Fur  and  Game  Sections. 

Fur  Farming. 

Furs  and  Pelts. 

Game  Laws  and  Licenses. 

Guns  and  Ammunition. 

Homesteads  and  Lands. 

Medicinal  Roots,  Herbs 

and  Barks. 
Oils— Skunk,  Etc. 
Pearls  and  Clams. 
Snowshoes  and  Skis. 
Taxidermy  and  Tanning. 
Tents  and  Tenting. 
Trapping  Localities. 
Traps  and  Trapping. 
Wearing  Apparel. 
Water  Proofing. 


ing. 

This  book  is  indexed  and  classified  so  that  any  subject  can  be 
found  in  a  moment.  Printed  on  good  quality  paper,  in  small  type, 
it  has  almost  double  the  number  of  words  of  our  other  books  in 
its  395  pages.  A  real  bargain. 

Price,  postpaid,  paper  bound,  $1.50 

A.  R.   HARDING  PUB.  CO. 

2878   E.   Main   St.  Columbus,   Ohio  43209 


MINK  TRAPPING 


MINK  TRAPPING 


A  Book  of  Instructions,  Giving  Many  Methods  of  Trapping. 
A  Valuable  Book  for  Trappers. 

THE  Author,  A.  R.  Harding,  in  his 
introduction  says:  While  there  are 
many  excellent  mink  trappers,  no 
one  man  has  studied  out  all  the  meth- 
ods,   for   the    conditions    under    which 
the    trapper    in    the    South    makes    his 
largest  catches   would  probably   be   of 
little   value  to  the   trapper  of   the  Far 
North,   where  snow   covers  the   ground 
the  greater  part  of  the  year. 

Conditions  along  the  Atlantic  are  dif- 
ferent than  the  Pacific,  as  well  as  the 
methods  used  by  thousands  of  trappers 
along  the  Mississippi  and  its  tributaries 
differ  from  the  Eastern  or  Western  Coast 
trapper,  for  the  mink's  food  is  not  the 
same  along  the  fresh  inland  waters  as 
the  coast  or  salt  water. 

The  methods  explained  in  this  book 
are  from  all  parts  of  the  country,  as 
many  experienced  trappers  tell  of  their 
best  methods,  so  that  it  makes  no  difference  in  what  part  of 
America  you  live,  valuable  information  on  best  trapping  methods 
for  your  locality,  will  no  doubt,  be  found. 

Mink  Trapping  contains  nearly  171  pages,  about  50  illustrations 
and  nineteen  chapters  as  follows: 
I.  General   Information. 
II.  Mink  and  Their  Habits. 

III.  Size  and  Care  of  Skins. 

IV.  Good  and  Lasting  Baits. 
V.  Bait  and  Scent 

VI.  Places  to  Set. 

3%  ™*ln  Meth°dS' 
Vm.  Mink  Trapping  on 

tne  frames. 
IX.  Southern   Methods. 
X.  Northern  Methods. 


XI.  Unusual  Ways. 
XII.  Illinois  Trapper's 
Methods. 

XIII.  Experienced  Trappers' 
Methods. 

XIV.  Many  Good  Methods. 
XV.  Salt  Set. 

XVI.  Log  and  Other  Sets. 
XVn.  Points  for  Young 

Trappers. 
XVIII.  Proper  Size  Traps. 

XIX.  Deadfalls. 

This  book  has  a  great  sale,  for  it  tells  in  a  plain  every-day  way 
what  you  want  to  know  about  Mink  and  Mink  Trapping.  Perhaps 
THAT  TRAPPER  you  know  (or  have  heard  about)  who  is  catch- 
ing a  good  many  mink  each  season  has  a  copy  of  this  splendid 
book.  Now  is  a  good  time  to  send  for  your  copy  of  Mink  Trap- 
There  is  money  made  in  catching  mink  if  you  know  how.  After 
reading  this  instructive  book  you  should  increase  your  catch  of 
Mink.  One  more  prime  mink  pelt  will  bring  enough  cash  to  pay 
for  this  book  many  times. 

Price,  postpaid,  paper  bound,  $1.50 

A.  R.  HARDING  PUB.  CO. 

2878  E.  Main   St.  Columbus,  Ohio  43209 


Ginseng  and  Other  Medicinal  Plants 

A  Valuable  Book  for  Growers  and  Collectors  of  Wild  Medicinal 
Plants— Tells  How  to  Grow,  Medicinal  Uses,  Etc. 


G  I  X  S  E  X 


THIS  book,  Revised  Edition,  contains  367 
pages  and  about  100  illustrations,  40  be- 
ing Ginseng,  showing  this  plant  in  var- 
•$:  ious  stages  of  development,  both  cultivated 
Wand  wild;  also  roots  of  different  sizes  and 
[Equality  with  explanation  of  value,  etc.  There 
i'liare  20  illustrations  of  Golden  Seal,  showing 
|t  plants  and  roots  at  different  stages  of  growth. 
*],  With  about  160  pages  are  devoted  to  Ginseng 
".jand  more  than  50  to  Golden  Seal — all  of  in- 
|i1  terest  to  growers,  diggers  and  sellers. 
J  Some  40  other  roots,  plants  and  herbs  hav- 

!.-,  ing   medicinal   value  are   shown   and  briefly 

P  L   \  X  T  S    ''described. 

!i     The    raising    of    GINSENG    and    GOLDEN 
(the   wild  supply   of  which  is  nearly 


(te   wild  supply   o 
gone)   are  proving  profitabl 


This  book  contains  Thirty-five  chapters  as  follows: 

XVII.  Golden  Seal,  Cultivation. 
XVIII.  Golden  Seal,  History,  etc. 


I.  Plants  as  a  Source  of 

Revenue. 

II.  List  of  Plants  Having 
Medicinal  Value. 

III.  Cultivation  of  Wild 
Plants. 

IV.  The  Story  of  Ginseng. 
V.  Ginseng  Habits. 

VI.  Cultivation. 
VII.  Shading  and  Blight. 
VIII.  Diseases  of  Ginseng. 
IX.  Marketing  and  Prices. 
X.  Letters  from  Growers. 
XL  General  Information. 
XII.  Medicinal    Qualities. 

XIII.  Ginseng  in  China. 

XIV.  Ginseng,  Government 
Description,  Etc. 

XV.  Michigan  Mint  Farm. 
XVI.  Miscellaneous  Informa- 
tion. 


XIX.  Growers'  Letters. 
XX.  Golden  Seal—  Govern- 

ment  Description. 
XXI.  Cohosh—  Black  and  Blue. 
XXII.  Snakeroot—  Canada 

and  Virginia. 
XXDI.  Pokeweed. 
XXIV.  Mayapple. 
XXV.  Seneca  Snakeroot. 
XXVI.  Lady's  Slipper. 
XXVII.  Forest  Roots. 
XXVIII.  Forest  Plants. 
XXIX.  Thicker  Plants. 
XXX.  Swamp  Plants. 
XXXI.  Field  Plants. 
XXXII.  Dry  Soil  Plants. 

XXXIII.  Rich  Soil  Plants. 

XXXIV.  Medicinal  Herbs. 
XXXV.  Medicinal  Shrubs. 

Among  the  Plants  described  in  Chapters  XXVII  to  XXXV  and 
which  furnish  Root  Drugs  are:  Male  Fern;  Wild  Turnip;  Skunk 
Cabbage;  Sweet  Flag;  Helonias;  American  Hellebore;  Aletris; 
Bethroot;  Wild  Yam;  Serpentaria  (Southern  Snakeroot);  Yellow 
Dock;  Soapwort;  Goldthread;  Oregon  Grape;  Twinleaf;  Canada 
Moonseed;  Bloodroot;  Hydrangea;  Indian  Physic;  Wild  Indigo; 
Crane's  Bill;  Stilling;  Wild  Sarsaparilla;  Water  Frynged;  Ameri- 
can Angelica,  Yellow  Jasmine;  Pinkroot;  American  Colomba; 
Black  Indian  Hemp;  Pleurisy  Root:  Comfrey;  Stoneroot;  Culinary  s 
Root;  Dandelion;  Queen-of-the-Meadow;  Elecampane;  Echimena; 
Burdock.  A  good  photograph  of  each  is  shown  with  the  descrip- 
tion. Conside  -able  money  can  be  made  collecting  and  preparing 
wild  roots  for  the  market.  This  book  will  give  you  the  needed 
"know-how." 

Price,  postpaid,  paper  bound,  $2.00 

A.  R.  HARDING  PUB.  CO. 

2878   E.   Main   St.  Columbus,  Ohio  43209 


Camp  and  Trail  Methods 

Interesting  Information  for  All  Lovers  of  Nature  — 
the  Outdoors.       What  to   Take  and  What  to  Do. 

THE  author,  K.  Kreps,  who  has  spent 
several  years  in  various  parts  of 
North  America  camping,  hunting, 
and  trapping,  says:  "A  life  in  the  open 
air  calls  for  knowledge  which  a  very  large 
number  of  human  beings,  because  of  their 
environments,  cannot  gain,  except  when 
the  same  is  imparted  by  some  more  for- 
tunate one  who  has  learned  it  from  exper- 
ience. There  are  many  who  live  this  out- 
door life  and  these  old  seasoned  woodsmen 
know,  perhaps,  all  that  is  contained  in  this 
book,  but  there  are  others,  a  much  larger 
number,  who  do  not  know  the  many  things 
relating  to  outdoor  life,  which  it  is  almost 
necessary  that  one  should  be  well  ecquaint- 
ed  with  when  he  or  she  make  their  first 
trip  into  the  fastnesses  of  Mother  Nature. 

"There  are  many  books  on  woodcraft, 
written  by  sportsmen,  fishermen,  and  campers,  but  only  a  few  of  these 
books  were  written  by  practical  woodsmen  and  for  people  who  want 
to  belong  to  that  class.  Such  books  .are  intended  for  the  big  game 
hunter,  or  the  fisherman  who  goes  for  a  short  stay  into  some  easily 
accessible  location,  well  equipped  and  with  a  guide  who  does  all  the 
work  and  looks  after  the  comfort  of  those  whom  he  has  in  charge. 
This  book  is  a  decided  departure  from  that  class,  as  it  not  only  gives 
the  information  needed  by  the  tourist  and  summer  camper,  but  gives 
special  attention  to  the  needs  of  those  practical  ones  whose  calling, 
whatever  it  may  be,  leads  them  into  the  wilds  and  holds  them  there  at 
all  times  of  the  year  ;  the  hunter,  the  fisherman,  the  trapper,  the  pros- 
pector, the  surveyor  ;  all  these  and  many  ohers  will  find  much  valuable 
information  in  this  book  " 

This   practical  books  contains  274  pages  and  68   illustrations.     There 
are   19   chapters   as   follows  : 


I.  Pleasures   and   Profits    of 

Camping. 
II.  Selecting  a  Camp   Outfit 

III.  Clothing   for   the   Woods. 

IV.  Pack   Straps,  Pack  Sacks 
and    Pack    Baskets. 

V.  Cooking     Utensils,      Beds 

and    Bedding. 
VI.  Firearms. 

VII.  Hunting  Knives  and  Axes. 
VIII.  Tents  and  Shelters. 
IX.  Permanent    Camps. 
X.  Canoes  and  Hunting  Boats. 


XI.  Snowshoes  and  Their  Use. 
XII.  Snowshoe    Making. 

XIII.  Skis,  Toboggans  and  Trail 
Sleds. 

XIV.  Provisions   and   Camp 
Cookery. 

XV.  Bush  Travel. 
XVI.  Traveling    Light. 
XVII.  Tanning    Furs    and    Buck- 
skins. 
XVIII.  Preserving  Game,  Fish  and 

Hides 
XIX.   Miscellaneous    Suggestions. 


As  the  author  says,  this  book  is  so  written  that  it  is  of  value  to  any- 
one who  camps  or  goes  upon  the  "trail."  Read  the  chapter  headings 
carefully.  This  book  tells  what  to  take  and  what  to  do.  The  book  is 
attractively  bound  in  cloth,  printed  on  good  paper,  size  5x7  inches. 

Price,    postpaid,    paper    bound,    $1.50 
A.  R.  HARDING,  Pub.,  2878  E.  Main  St.,  Columbus,  O.  43209 


. 


;  AU6  1  7  1 


